Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
With Beau, she had been right there inside the experience, unable to put herself at a remove even if she’d wanted to. She’d lost herself in his masterful gaze to such a degree that she’d felt his fingers on her instead of her own, as if he’d somehow entered her body and taken control.
She now understood on a visceral level what guys meant when they talked about “blue balls.” Except her discomfort wasn’t limited to her genitalia. Her entire body ached from being so cruelly yanked back from the brink of what she was certain would have been a mind-blowingly powerful orgasm.
“I’m getting the sense you’ve never really submitted before,” Beau remarked. “Not with your whole self.”
A reflexive denial rose in her throat, then died on her tongue.
He was right. Try as she might, she had never succeeded in fully relinquishing control. In her heart of hearts, she didn’t really believe she was capable. But this sexy, strong Dom seemed to have at least a little faith that it might be possible.
“No, Sir,” she said softly, both chastened and hopeful in equal measure. “I don’t think I have.”
Beau smiled. “We have our work cut out for us, that’s for sure. We may not succeed, but we’ll give it our best shot. Agreed?”
She smiled back in spite of herself. “Agreed.”
“But first,” he added with a grin, “Your honesty in confessing your crimes does deserve a little reward.”
Taking her hand, Beau led Lia to the bed. For a crazy second, she thought he was going to pull her down onto it and wrap her in his big, strong arms. Before she could decide if that would be wonderful or if it would ruin everything, he pointed instead to the two new impact toys he’d purchased earlier.
“Which one of these sexy toys would you prefer to be marked with?”
It took Lia a second to shift gears.
Focusing on his question, she replied, “The snake, Sir.”
A cruel smile lifted his sensual lips. “Then we’ll use the crop.”
Bastard! She should have known better when dealing with an erotic sadist.
Instead of ordering her onto the spanking bench or, even better, to stand against the St. Andrew’s cross, Beau said, “Let’s go down to the main dungeon.”
As before, he attached a leash to her rope collar and used it to lead her down the stairs to the first floor. As they entered the dungeon, she saw that the auction was over, the four trainees no doubt in the hands of whoever had bought them for the hour. She looked around for Lucia and Master Anthony, but they were nowhere to be seen.
To her dismay, Lawrence appeared beside them. Ignoring Lia as usual, he smiled at Beau. “Hey, there. How’s it going? Has she managed to get through half a day without needing to be punished?”
Fuck you, Lia wanted to snarl, even as she was aware her anger was for herself more than Lawrence.
Beau chuckled. “Uh, that would be a no.”
Lawrence guffawed, making her either want to disappear into the floor or sock him in the nose. “Why am I not surprised?” He snorted. “Maybe we’ve set you up without meaning to. Maybe this girl is too much of a lost cause to bother with.”
Beau shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know, Lawrence. Aren’t you the one who said he believes in second chances?”
For a moment Lawrence looked uncomfortable. The look was gone as quickly as it appeared, however, his usual smug sneer falling back into place. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said with a shrug of his own. Finally, he met Lia’s gaze. “What do you think, Lia? Are you worth a second chance?”
“Yes,” she blurted before she even realized what she was saying. “I am.”
He lifted his brow as if surprised by her retort. Then he shook his head. “Still can’t remember how to properly address your Masters, I see.”
“Excuse me, Sir,” she said quickly, not for Lawrence’s sake but for Beau’s. Damn it, she wanted to show him she was worthy, and she kept tripping herself up.
“I think you are, too,” Beau said, his words filling her with warmth. “In fact,” he added, now addressing Lawrence, “She also happens to have earned a reward for good behavior.”
Reaching into the gear bag on his shoulder, he pulled out the silver-handled crop, holding it for Lawrence to see. “I’m thinking a nice, thorough cropping from shoulder to thigh would do very well for this little masochist. What do you think?”
Who cared what Lawrence thought? She was all in. Bring it on!
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Lawrence replied. He led them past various stations where scenes were in progress to a small station near the back that contained a portable suspension rack. Lia waited impatiently for him to take his leave.
“Perfect,” Beau said, taking in the space. “This should work very nicely with my Kinbaku rope.” He fixed Lia with a burning gaze. “I’ll bind your wrists and suspend you from the rack beam so you’re on tiptoe. Would you like that, sub girl?”