“What are you doing? Untie me! I didn’t agree to this,” she protested vehemently and struggled against the bindings. It was to no avail. All she managed to do was tire herself out. She quieted and lifted her head to glare at the Dom who stood by her side, watching her shenanigans with an amused smile.
“What was the scene she asked for, Dom Mike?”
“A hard flogging. She wants to hit subspace and then be rubbed to a climax as she comes down.”
“Fully dressed? She didn’t offer you any pleasure in this scene at all, did she?” Ava simmered under his assessing look but refused to open her mouth again. “Are you sure she’s even a submissive?”
Dom Mike shrugged. “To be honest, I have my doubts. Why any of us even bother to give in to her demands is beyond me but at least it gives me pleasure to look at that sexy ass of hers.”
“Ah, so this little snip likes to top from the bottom, does she?” His gaze sharpened as he assessed her curvy ass. “I’m surprised the Senior Masters allow it.”
“Allow what?”
Ava cringed as the familiar deep voice of Master Quinlan floated toward her.
“A sub topping the Doms she scenes with.”
She whimpered as a hand locked around her hair and tilted her head sideways. “You again, Shadow? Didn’t we have a discussion about this a month ago?”
Parker’s lips quirked at the sub’s name. In all honesty, it was rather appropriate.
“It’s just a misunderstanding, Master Quinlan.” Ava didn’t dare sass Quinlan for fear of exacerbating the punishment she already knew was her due or worse, potentially losing her membership. She prayed silently that Dom Mike would be the one handing it out and not Master Quinlan. She might have liked a harsh flogging but when it came to punishment, it was an entirely new ballgame when one of the Senior Masters was involved.
“Is it, or are you blatantly lying to me as well?”
“I’m sorry, Master Quinlan, you’re right; I did manipulate Dom Mike to get what I wanted out of the scene.” She backpaddled immediately. It served no purpose to anger him further.
She darted a sideways glance at the intruding Dom but the sharp look of reprimand for his interference didn’t faze him in the least.
“I’m disappointed, especially that a regular Dom, as well as a very good friend of mine, had to witness such unacceptable behavior by a long-standing member.” His fingers tightened in her hair. “What do you propose I do about this, sub?”
“I’m sorry, Master Quinlan. I truly didn’t mean to be disrespectful, it’s just that … that I …” Ava swallowed. She couldn’t find the words to articulate that she acted the way she did because she had been unable to find a powerful enough Dom who saw through the cheeky sub to find the needy and vulnerable woman beneath. A submissive who was desperate to be controlled and dominated in every sense of the word.
“That your desire for Domination hasn’t been met. Not that you should be surprised, sub.” Quinlan leaned closer and rasped next to her ear, “You might yearn for a powerful Dom but at the same time you’re too scared to lose control over your emotions, therefore, you always choose the ones you can top.” He straightened and glanced at Parker over his shoulder, who watched the scene dispassionately. Though Parker’s expression didn’t betray his feelings, the usual quirky smile hovered around his lips.
“This is the one you were looking for?” Quinlan asked with raised eyebrows as he noticed the flicker of expectation in Parker’s eyes. He felt the sub stiffen at his words but she didn’t dare move, seeing as he held her in place with the grip in her hair. Parker assented with a nod.
“Then I have the perfect solution to this little problem we have. Master Tiger, would you be so kind and take care of this sub’s punishment? As a VIP guest of Club Alpha Cove, it would indeed be an honor if you’d show this recalcitrant sub how a powerful Dom reacts to being topped.”
“No! Not him!”
“It’ll be my pleasure.” Parker’s deep voice grated over hers. “As long as I can choose the punishment.”
Quinlan released Ava’s hair and stepped away. She looked at him warily. It wouldn’t serve any purpose to beg for forgiveness. She’d been caught doing something she’d been reprimanded for more than once. The last time had been with a clear warning that it wouldn’t be tolerated again. Hence Master Quinlan’s decision to humiliate her with punishment by a complete stranger.
“As long as you study her limit list beforehand, Master Tiger.”
“Already have.” Parker smiled as the sub’s back stiffened even more.
What the fuck?! He hadn’t left the dungeon, so how did he know who I was before he even saw me?
Ava had covertly been following his leisurely stroll throughout the vast space, so she knew he hadn’t left. She struggled as the realization became embedded in her mind that he had sought her out deliberately. It worried her that instead of concern or fear, the only feeling she succumbed to was excitement triggered by the frisson of lust playing a merry tune inside her loins.
“Then I leave it in your capable hands, my friend.”
“Is the Red Room available?”
Ava turned to stone. It was a strict rule she had, although it wasn’t stipulated as a limit. She just didn’t agree to it and never went to one of the private rooms for a scene. She only played in the Dungeon in public. This mighty Dom might be the kind she had secretly been yearning for but she’d be damned if she allowed him to stifle the natural brat in her.
“No, Master Quinlan. I prefer to have my punishment here and … oowww! Fucking hell,” she screamed as two strikes from his huge hand seared over the soft area where her buttocks and thighs met. She wheezed as she battled to breathe through the pain. Her mind screamed in protest at the unexpected rush of heat that flushed her loins. She liked a harsh flogging but nothing she’d ever received had hurt as much as this.
“Any request you have will be addressed to me directly, is that clear, sub?” Parker’s voice cracked through her like a whip, deep and coated with such dark intent, she felt a shiver trail through her body.
“Yes, Sir,” she snapped through clenched teeth.
“You will address me as Master Tiger or not at all.” Parker turned to Quinlan. “Well, the Red Room?”
“It’s all yours … for the rest of the night if you want it.”
“I do and unless this sub uses her safeword, make sure no one disturbs us until seven tomorrow morning.”
“You can’t punish me for that long! What I did doesn’t deserve such … OOWW!” Her protest ended in another wail as two more strikes landed directly over the welts of the previous ones.
“Not a word from you unless it’s to use your safeword or answer a question. Your punishment has already begun and as a sub, you should know the basic rules attached to that. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Master Tiger.” Ava recalled that she’d compared the way he moved to a tiger earlier; now she scoffed at the name as she spat it out. She knew she was pushing him but she’d be damned if she showed him how shit scared she was of the effect he had on her.
And the freaking man hasn’t laid a hand on me yet!