I’m ready to take you up on that.”
“Name it, brother. If it’s in my power, I’ll do it.”
“I need you to help me find Kelsey LeBreck.”
Kelsey stared down at the sweat-glazed back of Hawk Nichols as he sucked in a deep breath, bracing for her next blow. She strolled around to stand in front of his prone form, making sure he heard her boots clicking deliberately along the cement floor of the dungeon room. She’d strapped him down on all fours along a padded spanking bench about half an hour ago, and he was already flying high. Keeping the braided leather cat in her right hand, she touched Hawk’s fingers with her left. They flinched slightly, still warm. Circulation was good.
She had to watch it with this kid. The twenty year old was the star receiver on his college football team, so pain was part of his daily existence. And he craved the edge of being under her hand, the place the pain would bring him. But she couldn’t trust him to call his safe word if she went too far. Once he slipped into subspace, the bulky athlete was as vulnerable as a kitten. She ran a hand over his damp hair, and he nuzzled her palm and moaned—the simple touch her reward to him for taking so much.
“You still with me, sub?”
“Yes, Mistress. Please,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “Please.”
She knew what he was begging for. Her flogging hadn’t gone to the intense place he needed yet. He was still hovering on the precipice, waiting to lose himself to it all. “You’ve done well tonight, sub. You know you’ll be rewarded.”
“Thank you, Mistress.” His fists flexed and released, flexed and released, the need quivering off him. His cock hung heavy and hard between his spread thighs despite the boot laces she’d used to bind his scrotum and the base of his penis, and she knew he had to be desperate for relief by now.
She ran her fingers along his spine as she made her way around him. He really was a beautiful guy, though still a little lost. They were only separated by a few years in age, but she felt lifetimes older. Hawk had this unvarnished innocence that she doubted many had seen. Big and intimidating in looks, most people probably gave him wide berth and never looked deeper. But he was as gentle a soul as she’d ever met. A gentle soul who craved a bit of brutality.
His father, of all people, had dragged Hawk into The Ranch a few months ago when he’d discovered his son had been burning himself with candle wax while masturbating. One night, Hawk had used the wrong type of candles and had used them too close to his skin. He’d ended up with second-degree burns in hard-to-explain places, and his father had dragged the information out of him.
Most parents would’ve probably hauled the kid into a therapist, thinking he was sick and self-harming. But Hawk’s father had been part of the scene in his past and, after talking with his son, had recognized Hawk’s behavior for what it was. He’d made the kid promise that if he took him to a place where he could get what he needed that he’d never play like that alone again. The next week he’d brought Hawk to The Ranch and had plunked down the hefty membership and session fees without a blink.
Ever since, Hawk had been a weekly client for Kelsey, and she’d grown quite fond of him. Though, her heart still broke a little each time she saw the guarded look in his eyes. She knew that besides his father knowing, this was a big secret for Hawk. Even his girlfriend, who he seemed to adore, didn’t know. Kelsey knew what it was like to keep those heavy secrets and wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
But she couldn’t fix that for him. She didn’t have that kind of power. But she could at least give him this. She released Hawk’s right hand from the leather cuff and drizzled warmed lubricant into his palm, then she squared herself up behind him, her heart picking up speed beneath the laces of her corset. She reached down and removed the bindings from the base of his cock. “You have permission to touch yourself, sub. But you’re not allowed to come until you’ve taken all ten of my strokes. You understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, his voice now shaking with anticipation.
Kelsey took a steadying breath. This was always the hardest part for her. She enjoyed the power and rush of being a top, but unlike many of her fellow doms, sadism wasn’t in her blood. She didn’t derive pleasure in giving pain for pain’s sake. She administered the pain because it was her job, and her satisfaction came from giving a sub what he or she needed. And for Hawk, seeing him let go for a few moments, getting some catharsis, would make it worth it.
She raised her arm high and then, using all her strength, lashed Hawk’s backside with the cat. The braided leather strips striped along his back and buttocks, the sound of leather meeting flesh filling the cavernous space and mixing with the thudding rock music she’d put on in the background. Hawk tried to rear up, the bench rattling a bit from his brute strength, and he moaned loud and long. His fist slid harshly up and down his cock as she landed the next blow.
She worked him hard over the next few minutes, her arm aching from the exertion and her skin going damp and prickly. Hawk jerked and writhed in his bindings, a caged beast on the verge of losing his fight for control. But the sounds he made were pure ecstasy, the intense pain launching him to that plane of nothingness he craved.
Kelsey landed the last hit and watched in fascination as her sub exploded at the precise moment she’d ordered, his body going stiff, his hips thrusting forward, and his release spilling over his fist as he fucked his hand. A man lost to himself and to the world for a few exquisite seconds. Freedom.
Beautiful.
For some ridiculous reason, she had the urge to cry. She dropped the cat to the floor and sank against the wall, sliding to a sit, exhaustion sapping her. She knew she should stay on her feet, stay in the position of power, but he couldn’t see behind him, so he’d never know. She pulled her knees to her chest, her body throbbing and aching with unmet need, but not for Hawk. She never slept with her clients. She didn’t even allow them to touch her. But seeing the intensity of another reach their sexual bliss often left her craving her own.
And tonight there was something even uglier pressing at her. Jealousy.
It wasn’t an emotion a domme should feel toward her sub. She was supposed to gain her satisfaction from his submission. And Hawk had submitted beautifully tonight. But as she watched Hawk lying there bound, breathing hard, and blissed out, she felt the ugly emotion creep up.
“Lady K?” he whispered after a few quiet minutes, snapping her from her souring state.
“Yes.” She pushed herself to her feet, turned down the music, and started unfastening the rest of his bindings. “You okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “I was just wondering, how long before the marks go away?”
She frowned and ran a gentle hand along the angry red stripes on his back. “You know I wouldn’t leave you with anything long lasting, sweetheart. I’ll never betray the contract we set up at the beginning. Do you need me to stop leaving even temporary ones? There are other things I can do that won’t leave any evidence.”
“No, please don’t stop,” he said quickly. He turned his head to find her, his eyes still a little glazed and his hair flopping over his forehead. “I like seeing the marks. Sometimes … sometimes I jerk off again later after a session while I look at the markings in the mirror.” His
