More than a Dare (Masters Club 4)

“You came without permission. You’ve read enough of those novels of yours to know what happens to naughty little sub girls who come without permission. Am I right?”

The smile fell away, her arms wrapping reflexively around her torso. Slowly, she nodded.

“Say it,” he prodded, enjoying himself. “Tell me what happens to naughty subs who disobey?”

She turned her head away, mumbling something.

Reaching for her chin, he forced her to look at him. “Don’t turn away when I speak to you,” he directed. “Answer the question properly.”

Again she colored. He could actually see the struggle on her face as she wrestled with her emotions.

Finally, she said in a small but clear voice, “They get punished. Sir.”

~*~

Hayden led Dahlia across the hall to his private dungeon. She was still recovering from the powerful reenactment of one of her darkest fantasies. She was awestruck that he’d not only remembered the specifics of her secret confession, but brought it to life with such thrilling, terrifying immediacy that she’d very nearly panicked.

Only the reminder that this wasn’t some dangerous intruder, but her good friend and new lover, Hayden, had kept her from losing it. At the same time, it had been the most thrilling, intense experience of her life.

It really wasn’t fair that she was being punished for coming. How could anyone be expected to resist what he’d done to her? He’d set her up!

The same thing had happened to heroines in her romance novels many times. But she hadn’t been thinking about novels or permission when he’d been inside her, driving her wild. She hadn’t been thinking at all.

What if she made a fool of herself with this punishment business? What if she started laughing hysterically, or freaked out and ruined everything? Where the dungeon had struck her as supremely sexy earlier in the evening, it now looked ominously like a medieval torture chamber.

She hesitated at the door, not quite willing to cross the threshold. Her body still thrummed pleasantly with post-orgasmic endorphins. But her mind was now fully focused on the promised punishment.

Getting punished had seemed very sexy in the novels. The image of a trembling sub girl tethered to a cross, the sexy Dom standing behind her, shirtless in black leather pants, a long, dangerous whip in his hand, had always been good fodder for her masturbatory fantasies.

But now, faced with the prospect of her own punishment, it no longer seemed quite so sexy. What if Hayden, used to the hard-core masochists at his club, went too far?

He had his arm lightly around her shoulders. As she hesitated, he stopped as well. “What is it?” He dropped his arm and turned to face her.

“I’m afraid,” she admitted. “I don’t want to be punished. Maybe we could overlook my, uh, transgression?”

He stroked back a tendril of hair and tucked it behind her ear. “It’s natural to be afraid. But if I were to overlook it, I would be doing you a disservice. In time, if we continue our exploration, you’ll learn to control your body and your reactions better. That should be your primary focus—pleasing and obeying your Master. If you get secondary pleasure from the act, that’s cool, but it’s not the goal.”

“Whoa, back up there.” Dahlia exclaimed. “Who said anything about a Master? Don’t confuse me with those girls at your club.”

A brief flash of pain, or maybe just irritation, darkened Hayden’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you’re something you’re not. I’m used to thinking in terms of Masters and slaves. But you’re right. You’re no one’s slave.”

Something in his phrasing left the sentence incomplete somehow. Without permission, her brain provided the word he’d left off: yet.

“That said,” he continued, “you did agree earlier this evening to let me guide you, in order to give yourself a genuine submissive experience. But this is all consensual, so if you’re having second thoughts and want to call it a night—”

“No,” she blurted. She was no quitter. She would see this through.

Suddenly aware how she must be coming across, she softened her tone. “I’m sorry…Sir,” she managed, tripping verbally over the honorific. “I don’t want to stop. Even if it wasn’t exactly my fault,” she hedged, “I did come without permission. I…I guess I did earn a punishment.” She bit her lower lip. “It’s just, I don’t know what to expect. What if I freak out?”

Hayden reached for her, his deep blue eyes kind. As he drew her into an embrace, she closed her eyes, inhaling his clean, masculine scent.

“I get that you’re afraid,” he murmured softly as he gently rocked her. “That’s where the courage comes in. Subs aren’t passive doormats who let things be done to them. They’re empowered participants who thrive when they willingly subjugate themselves to the will of another.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Remember, I promised you I wouldn’t give you more than you could handle. Because you’re not yet trained, your punishment will be light. I’m thinking another spanking, this time on the bench. Think of it as a reminder, more than a punishment. A reminder that you disobeyed, and a promise to yourself to do better next time.”