Revived (The Dungeon Black Duology 2)

Sean complied without question. The sooner they got this over with, the better. He bent his knee and lifted his leg till his heel was up near his ass. Max grabbed his ankle and connected its cuff to what Sean could only assume was the chain he’d just added. Max tightened the lead. Sean’s knee rose higher, then higher still, until his thigh was forced to angle to the side. Which essentially left Sean with his one leg hiked high while he balanced all his weight on the other.

Max moved back in front of him and regripped Sean’s nipple, dug a clamp from his pocket and swiftly attached it. Sean winced at the bite. He fucking hated those things. Definitely a good choice for punishment. Max added another to Sean’s other nipple, then unclipped two thin chains from his belt loop.

“These,” he explained as he hooked one to each clamp, “don’t cause any pain on their own. The only way they’ll pull on your nipples, Sean, is if you make them do so through your actions.”

Sean frowned at the ground, not quite sure what Max meant. Why would he ever intentionally pull at them?

Again, Max reached up. More soft tugs to the ceiling chain. Was he hooking those smaller leads to it, too?

“Up on your toes.”

Sean obeyed.

Max tightened the slack, locked it in place, and stepped back. “So, here’s how your punishment’s gonna work tonight. As you know, you’ve got clamps on your nipples that aren’t going anywhere. I’ve attached a lead to each and hooked those leads to the ceiling chain. The ceiling chain’s free end, though, on the other side of the pulley. Pulley being the keyword. Meaning, when I unlock it, you can drop back down off your toes since the ceiling chain’s connected to your harness, too.”

Yeah, no thanks. Sean knew how a pulley worked. Pull down on one side, the other side goes up. The “other side” being the end connected to Sean’s nipples.

Max reached back up and unlinked the two ends, allowing free movement through the pulley. “Test it out,” he muttered.

Seriously? “Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

Crap. Sean slowly dropped down—then hissed in pain as those chains attached to his nipple clamps tugged upward. He shot back on his toes. “Fuck, Sir. That hurt.”

“You don’t like it?”

“No.”

“Good. You’re not supposed to.”

Sean swallowed, quickly realizing the severity of his dilemma. A disconcerting position to be in, to say the least, but also a potentially excruciating one. He really, really hoped this didn’t last long.

As if reading his mind, Max stepped in and grabbed Sean’s cock. “Don’t worry. You’re a gymnast. Guys like you have got great stamina.” Slowly, he pulled Sean forward by his dick. Sean hopped to keep from falling. Max rumbled softly. “Not to mention good balance.”

Sean hoped so, considering how that chain above his head was providing him zero support. “Thank you, Maximus,” he mumbled, focusing hard not to tip. He could only imagine how bad that would hurt.

Max eased him back into a steady stance, then clutched Sean’s balls and gently fondled. “So, as you can see, this position in itself really isn’t that bad. No real pain at all as long as you stand still.”

Sean’s eyes slid closed, God, he loved Max’s touch. No matter what else was going on.

Max reclaimed Sean’s cock with his other hand and stroked it as well as he continued. “Kind of like when you keep showing up unannounced. I chastise you, reprimand you, with a healthy bout of spanking. But nothing truly unbearable ever amounts.”

Sean’s lips parted on a moan as Max lazily caressed him.

“Problem is, sometimes the absolution that follows each punishment inadvertently instills a false sense of security. Making a sub believe that repeat offenses would only ever bring about more like punishments… Which is a foolish assumption.” Max’s touch left completely. “One that could end up damaging things irrevocably.”

Sean frowned and opened his eyes. Was Max trying to say something? His heart sped faster, but before he could ask, Max turned and strode away. Sean lifted his gaze. Max was headed for his music system. A minute later, The Neighborhood filled the room. Unfortunately, the vibe of their angsty tune, “W.D.Y.W.F.M.,” only strengthened Sean’s growing unease. Shifting the mood, changing the ambiance, making his pulse hammer restlessly.

Max returned and stood before him. “Time to begin,” he muttered, setting his phone’s timer. “You’ll stand like this for the next thirty minutes.”

Sean tensed. Thirty minutes? On one fucking foot? He bit back a curse, but didn’t say a word.

“Eyes up, cat.”

Sean obeyed—then all but sighed. Because, God, those warm emeralds felt like home. Even when their owner was pissed.

“Do you understand why you’re being punished?” Max asked, crossing his arms.

“Yes, Maximus.”

“Tell me why.”

“Because I disregarded your rules… repeatedly.”

“And why did you do that?”

Sean shifted on his toes. His calf muscle was starting to burn. “Because I wanted to talk to you candidly.”