“And…?”
“And I chose the punishment, Mistress.”
“That’s right.” She looked from her slave to Adam and Shani. “And his punishment was to be our personal property for as long as it suited me. He was kept naked and in chains, and only allowed to sleep in a cage in the laundry room. It was supposed to be a punishment, but it turns out our little sissy loved what was happening to him. When I caught him masturbating, I locked his nasty little wee wee in a cock cage and gave him forty lashes with the whip. It was Rachel’s idea to force him to wear makeup, a French maid outfit and high heels while cleaning the house from top to bottom. But you loved that, too, didn’t you, Brandi girl?”
“Yes, Mistress,” Brandi admitted, his face beet red but his cock fully erect. “Thank you, Mistress.”
Shani pulled away from Adam and rose to her feet. Adam looked up at her. She was no longer trembling. Her face was calm, even stern, her chin lifted, her posture ramrod straight. “I’ve heard enough,” she said in a quiet but firm voice. “Thank you, Mistress Marlena, for taking this boy in hand. It’s clear he has found his place in the world. I’m glad he’s no longer out there pretending to be a Dom and hurting women. But now, if you’ll excuse us…”
Pausing, she looked directly at Brandi. The sternness fell away, replaced by a sad smile. “I thought you had stolen my spirit, but I’ve learned since that it was always with me. I just needed to remember who I am. I hope you’ve found yourself, too, and are as happy as you’re capable of being.”
She turned to Adam and held out her hand. “Coming?”
~*~
Once they left the room, Shani stopped and reached for Adam, standing on tiptoe to press her lips to his. He wrapped his strong arms comfortingly around her. As they kissed, the last lingering traces of anger and residual fear slipped finally and completely away.
When they parted, Adam said, “You were awesome in there, Princess. You okay with all this?”
Shani shrugged. “I’m still not entirely sure how I feel. Shocked, relieved, elated, furious, amused… All of the above?“
“Who can blame you? It’s a lot to take in. We expected to confront a rabid coyote and instead we found a trained kitten.”
“Exactly,” Shani agreed with a laugh. “That’s not something I ever saw coming, that’s for sure.”
“Still want to play?” Adam asked, placing his hand lightly on the back of her neck. His touch made her shiver with pleasure.
“Yes, please,” she said fervently.
Though she hadn’t had a chance to sign up for the wheel, miraculously, when they got to the scene station, it was unoccupied. The time slot for thirty minutes later was filled out, but no one was signed up for the moment. She stripped out of her things as a dungeon spotter approached them. “Need some help getting her strapped in?” he asked Adam.
“That would be great,” Adam agreed.
Together, the men helped Shani position herself against leather-padded vertical bar that served as a backrest, her feet resting comfortably in the anti-gravity inversion boots. She stretched out her arms along the leather webbing of the wheel, allowing the guys to strap her wrists into place. They adjusted the boots so her legs were spread wide, her limbs creating a human X on the wheel.
For the first time since she’d fled Portland over a year ago, Shani’s heart felt as light as a feather. The evil Sir no longer existed. Brandon had found his place in the scene, though it wasn’t one she ever would have imagined. And Shani was back—fully inhabiting her fearless warrior spirit and her sexually submissive nature.
Catching Adam’s eye, she laughed from sheer happiness. He smiled back, nodding slightly, as if he could read her thoughts and intuit her soul.
As he took out various whips and floggers from his gear bag, the spotter adjusted the wheel so it tilted slightly back. Then he gave it a light spin. It was well balanced, and rotated smoothly. Shani rested her spine along the narrow, padded backrest with a deeply contented sigh, her entire body tingling with anticipation.
As promised, Adam placed a wide, satin blindfold over her eyes, which added to her sense of erotic helplessness. He started with the flogger, warming her skin with the soft, thuddy leather as the wheel slowly turned. She loved the disorienting sensation of being bound and spun as Adam walked in a slow circle around the wheel, flogging her entire body. After a while, he switched from the flogger to a crop, slapping it against her breasts and shaven mons. He walked behind the wheel to crop her ass, thighs and shoulders. The sting of leather brought tears to her eyes and stiffened her nipples to hard points.