A Real Page Turner (11 page)

“He’s going to be judging your reaction,” Titan said, his voice soft. “You need to make sure it’s honest. Don’t try to put on a happy front, like you do this all the time. I’ll build my story around your nervousness.”

All of a sudden, April felt as if she might pass out. “What are you going to say?”

“Just trust me.” Titan caressed her cheek. “The minute Poindexter gets here, I’m in charge. You will be a sweet, little submissive. I’m not talking sexually; I’m talking an exchange of power. Don’t forget it, April, or it might hurt our chances of going to the party.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said, making sure to emphasize the last word. If Misty were here, things would be easy for her friend, who was a true submissive in every sense of the word.

“I’m going to show you where I keep my belts, crops and brushes,” he said. “Right now, I’m planning on using my hand and taking you over my knee. If that changes, just go with it.”

“Okay.” April sat down on the edge of the tub. “It just occurred to me that, if you have to spank me in front of Poindexter, then you’re going to have to spank me at the party. I’m going to have to be naked in front of people I don’t know.”

“You’re going to have to trust me,” Titan repeated. “This will give us some insight into Virginia, and what she was participating in at the end of her life. Threadway might get pissed at us, but we might discover something he can use.”

April wanted to remind him that she was pretty sure the detective would be at Saturday’s party, but before she could speak the doorbell rang.

Titan checked his watch. “It’s show time,” he said. “I’ll show you where the instruments are before we greet our guest.”

***

With a name like Poindexter, April had, quite frankly, expected a geek. But the man who stepped into Titan’s living room was drop-dead gorgeous. He was average in height and weight, but his close-cropped dark hair framed an angular face that looked as if it was perfectly suited to the movies. April wanted to ask him what he did for a living, but she remembered that she was the submissive part of the relationship. She wouldn’t question their guest. That was something Titan would do.

“Have a seat,” Titan said as soon as they were in the living room. “Can I offer you something to drink?”

“Just some water,” Poindexter said. “In the bottle is fine.”

“I’m afraid I’m a tap water guy,” Titan countered. Poindexter said that would be fine, and Titan dispatched April to the kitchen, where she fixed three glasses of water with ice. She was proud that she’d figured out, on the first try, the right cabinet with the glasses. Obviously, Lucy had organized the kitchen, because it definitely had a woman’s touch.

She found a tray, loaded the glasses and went back into the living room. She came into the part of the conversation where Titan was telling Poindexter that he was a teacher on a leave of absence, thinking about writing a few books on history.

That was partly true, April thought, since Titan’s romance novels featured a great deal of history in them. After she’d offered drinks around, she sat down next to Titan, making sure to keep her gaze down to give the look of submissiveness. As she drank from her glass, she listened to Titan tell Poindexter that the two of them had only been together for six months. They’d met through mutual friends, which was the truth since it was Tom who had introduced them. When Titan mentioned Tom’s name, Poindexter nodded.

“I know Tom,” he said. “But I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of you, Mr. Graves.”

“I’m not really into the lifestyle,” Titan said. “I do enjoy reddening a woman’s behind, but the other things don’t really interest me.”

Poindexter cocked his head just a little. April wondered, once again, if that was his real name, or if he was trying to keep his identity a secret.

“Shall we begin?” Poindexter said. “I would like to see the two of you in action before I approve your attendance at the event. And, I think it goes without saying, if I don’t think you’re suited for our gathering, your money will be refunded.”

“That’s good to hear,” Titan said. “April, stand up, bare your ass and come across my knee.”

Before she could follow his instructions, Poindexter cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather you used an implement on her, say a belt, or preferably, a riding crop. Those sorts of spankings are hard to fake. A hand spanking is… not that difficult to take, really. A crop is much harder on a woman’s ass.”

April wanted to tell him that a hand spanking could be really hard to take, depending on who was giving it, and the reasons for the spanking.

“April, go get me a crop,” Titan ordered her. April wasn’t really sure how she felt about it, but she knew that disobeying him would be the end of their “little adventure” as he’d called it earlier in the day.

“Yes, Sir,” she said, as she started for the hallway. The door to the room had been shut, so it was chilly when she stepped inside. When Titan had shown her the ‘toys,’ he’d pulled open the top drawer of a dresser.

Now, she did the same and looked inside. There were three riding crops. She selected the longest one in the drawer, which looked like the last one she’d tasted back at Charlie’s.

When she walked back into the living room, the two men stood up.

“We’re going to use the den,” Titan told her. “More room for me to swing at your ass there.”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied. She followed the men. There was lots of overstuffed furniture in the room, chairs that could fit more than one person, and a large ottoman that seemed to take up half the floor space.

Titan ordered her to take her pants and panties down to her ankles, and then kneel on the ottoman. It was big enough for her to follow his directions, but baring her ass in front of Poindexter made her fingers shake.

The man sat in a chair across from April, studying her every reaction. She took down her pants, but hesitated when it was time for her panties to follow.

“Do it,” Titan ordered.

April took a deep breath, pulled down the silky underclothes and quickly scrambled into position, as if she could hide the V between her legs.

“She’s not used to being on display,” Titan said. “One of the things I hope to gain from this party, and those after it, is pulling her out of her comfort zone, making her experience things she never would have before.”

“An excellent idea,” Poindexter said. “She really is quite lovely.”

April almost said thank you, but caught herself at the last minute, remembering what Titan had said about her remaining silent and letting him control the conversation.

“I think so,” Titan said. “One of the things that attracted me to her is the beautiful way she takes a spanking. It’s not just physical. She lets it soak into her, and I can see the way it makes her feel on many different levels.”

This was news to April, because he’d never said anything like that to her. It made her feel warm, and wanted, and she moaned very softly. Then she remembered that he was a fiction writer who could make things up right on the spot. She hoped that wasn’t what he was doing right now.

“I can see what you mean,” Poindexter said.

Titan rubbed the crop against her ass. April wanted to beg him to hurry up and give it to her. Instead, she remained silent.

“Count the strokes,” Titan ordered, and then he laid down the first swat. It was soft, and April knew he was in the buildup stage.

She counted one, and Titan started to lay down even strokes. The first, hard cut came at number eleven. April cried out, barely getting the number out of her mouth before Titan slammed the crop down on her ass again.

Juices started to flow between her legs as she counted, and cried out for more with each number. Titan showed her ass no mercy, despite the fact that he’d given her a hard belt spanking just that morning.

When he reached fifty, she thought he would stop, but he didn’t. It wasn’t until they got to seventy, and April thought her ass would catch on fire, that Titan rubbed the crop against her burning flesh.

“I don’t want to ruin her for Saturday,” he said.

Poindexter chuckled. She’d been so into the spanking that she’d forgotten he was there. “She takes a very good cropping.”

“It’s her favorite,” Titan said.

“I can see that,” Poindexter replied. “I do hope you’ll let her wear a red collar on Saturday. I’d like to give her a few licks with my belt.”

What the hell does that mean? April thought as Titan continued to rub the crop against her welted skin.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Titan said. “I know it would really push her out of her comfort zone, but part of me thinks we should wait until the next one for that. Saturday, I might keep her ass all to myself.”

“I can understand that,” Poindexter said. “I’ll look forward to seeing the two of you at the party.”

He stood, and April turned her head so that she could get a good look at Poindexter. His gaze was on her ass, but from her vantage point of kneeling on the ottoman, she could see he had a hard-on. She looked away, not wanting to be caught sneaking a peek. It made her wonder if he followed the rule of no sex at the event. She also pondered if he was with anyone, and thought about Misty. Did her friend attend parties like this? She’d never mentioned it to April if she had.

“I’m going to show our guest out,” Titan said. “Stay in position until I get back.”

“Yes, Sir.” April heard the two men talking as they moved toward the front door. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she would ask Titan when he returned.

She rubbed her sore ass. She wasn’t sure she could take another spanking Saturday evening, so close to the two she’d had today. But she knew there wasn’t much choice.

“You did well,” Titan said. “You can get up now.” He was by the side of the ottoman, helping her to stand.

April put her head on his shoulder. He hugged her tightly, and then kissed the top of her head. It was time, she supposed, to say they needed to get into the tub so that her ass could feel the warm water.

Instead, she looked at Titan and said, “What the hell is a red collar?”

The hot, sudsy water soothed April’s behind. She was on her side, pressed into Titan as they spooned in the huge tub.  He caressed her curves, sliding his hand up and down, sometimes cupping her breast and gently squeezing her nipple.

“Explain it to me again,” she said.

“A red collar means you can be shared,” he said. “The person wanting to spank you has to ask for permission, but it’s generally granted. No more than thirty strokes per guest spanker, though.”

“Thirty?” her voice squeaked. “My ass is going to be so sore.”

“Yes, it is.” Titan kissed her shoulder as he rubbed her nipple between his fingers. “How do you feel about that, April? The shared spanking thing? Do you think you could take it if a man, or a woman, took you over their knee and gave you thirty hard smacks while I watched?”

“No,” she said immediately.

“You could do it,” Titan countered. “I’d enjoy it, and so would you.”

“No,” she repeated.

Titan moved his hand between her legs. She shifted to allow him access. “I think I’m going to do it,” he said as his fingers dipped into her slit. “You’ll be forced to obey me, forced to turn over control to me. It will be erotic to watch you squirm while someone, Poindexter maybe, reddens your ass.”

His fingers had found her clit. He rubbed it gently, the pressure not enough to get her off, but making the sensations inside her climb to near boiling.

“Titan,” she whispered. “Please.”

“Please what?” he teased.

“Make me come.”

“You’re being very demanding,” he replied. “Which means my answer is no.” His hand slid out from between her legs, and April whimpered in protest. “Behave, April, or you’ll taste the crop again tonight, which means your ass will be very, very sore Saturday evening.”

He caressed her thigh. April bit back the urge to order him to play with her clit. There was no doubt in her mind that he would, indeed, give her more cuts from the crop if she was so bold as to make demands in the bedroom department, even if they were in the tub.

“I want to watch,” he said, forcefully, and he didn’t have to add any more explanation onto his words.

“Please, Titan,” she pleaded. “You know opening up to people isn’t easy for me.”

“Which is why we’re going to do it. I’ll put a stipulation on it when I take the collar. You’ll have to trust me.”

The desire that had built inside her was gone, overtaken by nerves about Saturday evening. “I’m begging you,” she said, a catch in her voice. “This is supposed to be about us trying to find out something about Virginia, not about me being spanked by strangers.”

He stroked her hair, the strands getting wet under his touch. “This will put us into contact with more people, who can answer questions and maybe tell us something about Virginia. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves, too. Like I’ve said all night, you have to trust me.”

She knew he was right, but it was so hard to give herself over to something like this. “I wish I had more time to think about it,” she murmured.

“Not a good idea.” His hand was back between her thighs. She moaned softly as he stroked her clit. “If you had more time, you’d come up with more excuses. The best thing we can do is attend the event and nose around, while you get your ass nice and red.”

He was maneuvering his way down her body now. Water sloshed out over the sides as he settled behind her. Within moments he was inside her. April closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure as he started to move in and out.

More water cascaded over the side as Titan moved faster and faster. April clasped the side of the tub as he fucked her, savoring the feel of his hardness filling her. He’d stopped stroking her clit when the actual fucking had started, but now his finger was back in place, the pressure pushing her over the edge.

“Oh yes!” she screamed as she tumbled into sheer pleasure. She felt as if she might burst into pure, erotic flames.

“Bad girl,” he whispered in her ear. “I wasn’t ready for you to do that quite yet.”

“You’re so good, I couldn’t stop myself,” she said with a soft giggle.

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” he replied as he slammed into her repeatedly. Moments later she felt his body tighten. He buried his head in her shoulder as he came. She loved the feeling of him swelling inside her as he followed her down the delicious path of release.

When he was still, awareness swept over her. They hadn’t used any protection. But frankly, she didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, she never wanted another man inside her.

April hoped she was the only woman he wanted to fill. Maybe it was something they needed to discuss. She snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. They would talk about it later. Much later.

***

April stared at the store, her eyes wide. “When you said masks, I thought about the sort that cover a person’s eyes, like they use in a Halloween costume. I had no idea you meant—” she paused and pointed at the sex store, “that.”

“We’re going to a spanking party, April,” Titan responded. “We’re not attending a costume event where we will bob for apples.”

She shook her head. “I’m not wearing a leather mask that covers my whole face. It will make me nauseous.”

“How do you know that?” Titan had turned off the engine in the car, but he hadn’t made a move to open his door.

“Because, I tend to get… breathy… when I’m spanked. When I breathe heavily, I sweat. I don’t want wet leather clinging to my face.”

April turned her gaze toward Titan. He was frowning, as if he had trouble comprehending what she said. Finally, he said, “If I’m hearing you right, what you want is something that will cover your eyes only.”

“It could have feathers or something, you know, to dress it up a bit,” she said. “I just don’t want to wear a full face mask.”

April thought about it for a few minutes. “Are we wearing full costumes to this event? It is October. Did you ask Poindexter?”

Titan chuckled, and she was pretty sure it was because of the name she’d just muttered. It did seem strange to her that it was the man’s real name; but then again, she knew some names came from family ties. Maybe this was a name passed down through the generations. If it was, and she was Poindexter, she would have shortened it at some point in time.

She watched him retrieve his phone from his pocket. “What are you doing?”

“I’m calling the man we met last night,” he said with a chuckle.

April settled into her seat as he made the call. The idea of wearing a full face mask Saturday evening made her hands shake. She knew people who enjoyed that sort of thing, but she wasn’t one of them. Or maybe she was; she’d never tried it before, but the idea had never appealed to her.

From the other side of the car, April heard Titan say, “Intriguing. Is there a sign up list, so there are not ten Marquis de Sade characters?” There was a pause. “Sounds great. Thanks for the info.”

He ended the call and turned to her. “Turns out costumes are an option. So I suppose what we need to do is decide which famous couple we want to be.”

“Romeo and Juliet?” she said hopefully.

“Not a chance,” Titan said with a laugh.  “Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn?”

“She loses her head,” April said in mock horror. “Is that what you see happening between us?”

“This is fictional, remember?” Titan chuckled. “Of course, I’d be a young Henry, before he got all puffy and smelly.”

“Yuck,” April said, although she couldn’t help but laugh.

“I have an idea,” Titan said. “Let’s find a costume shop and see what’s available. After all, it is Halloween, and we need this on short notice. But I have another thought processing through my brain that would be perfect for a spanking party, with a woman that really needed a good spanking, or two, or three, or—”

“I get the point,” April interrupted him. “What’s your idea?”

He chuckled evilly as he turned on the motor. “You’ll see.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.” Titan turned his head as he backed out of the parking spot. “This is perfect. Trust me.”

***

In the end, going with what the costume shop had on hand helped them make the final decision. They were fresh out of Rhett and Scarlett costumes, but they did have a ‘southern rake’ costume, that of a river boat gambler. The outfit came with a jacket, vest, tight breeches and knee-high boots.

Titan had altered it just a little, leaving off the jacket and going with only the vest. April thought it made him look sexier than ever.

As that thought crossed her mind, she looked down at what she wore. It was pantalets, with a corset top tightened so much she wondered if she would be able to breath. The drawers would be pulled down easily, Titan told her, so she could be spanked on her bare bottom.

They hadn’t found her outfit at the costume store, but at a lingerie shop. The clerk at the first store had stared at Titan as if he’d grown two heads when he told her what he wanted. But another clerk, standing in earshot, had taken him aside and told him of another store that stocked what he was looking for in their ‘Naughty Nighties’ section.

Now, April stared at herself in the mirror. She felt naked. The material on her lower half was sheer, and she could see her flesh showing through. On the bed behind her, Titan lounged and watched her with interest. At least she thought that was what he was doing, since she couldn’t really see his gaze behind the black mask that covered his eyes.

He had her mask in his hands, a black and red Venetian half-mask decorated with feathers.

“You can see my pussy,” she said, her voice trembling.

“Yes, you can, and a very pretty pussy it is,” Titan responded as he stood. “I’m going to give it a good pounding after the party.”

“The mask doesn’t match the outfit,” she said softly.

“You can go without it, if you like.” He stroked her shoulder.

April shook her head. “I’d rather not.” Her stomach was in knots. Suddenly, going to the fete didn’t seem like such a good idea. She said as much, and Titan laughed. He put his arms around her and brought the mask up to her face. He fastened it around her face.

The effect was perfect, hiding her upper face completely. “You look very sexy,” he said, “half innocent, half vixen.”

“When people ask who I am, what do I tell them?”

“You’re a woman I won in a hand of poker, wearing exactly what I want so that your body is accessible to me in every way.”

“So I have no identity, no name?”

“If they ask for a name, tell them you’re Four Aces, a bound servant.”

April knew it was just a game, a role to play for the event. But she didn’t like being thought of as a servant. It reminded her there were many levels to her chosen lifestyle, and she was at the very vanilla type tier. What would happen if, after she and Titan bonded, he told her he wanted to, in effect, take things up a notch?

“Something wrong?” he asked, and she knew he’d picked up on her tenseness.

“Just a little nervous about being so naked in public,” she said, trying to keep it light. “What happens if we have a wreck? You know they tell you to wear clean underwear in case such a thing happens.”

He looked down. “Your undies are clean.”

The glib retort lessened her tension. “I hope nothing happens and I have to explain this outfit to my mother if she comes to the hospital.”

“I’ll make sure you’re changed first,” he said. He took a step back and delivered a smart smack to her ass. April groaned in pleasure. She was still sore from the last few days, but Titan had promised to take it easy on her tonight.

“Let’s go,” he said. “We want time to look around and see what’s what before we get involved in the actual spanking part of the evening.”

They made the ride outside town in silence. When they’d make the final turn off the main road, April cleared her throat. She must have sounded nervous, because Titan responded immediately. “You have to trust me, April,” he said. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you tonight.”

“What about the red collar thing, which means anyone can spank me?”

“With my permission,” he said. “I don’t plan on letting anyone lay a finger on you… except, maybe, Poindexter. He’s hot to redden your ass. He’s mentioned it to me several times.”

“I wonder why?”

“Because you’re sexy,” Titan replied. “There are lots of us who like women with a little meat on her bones. Spanking a nice, round bottom is fun. He knows it, and I think he might try to lure you away from me.”

“Not going to happen,” she said, even though the thought of two men fighting over her made her smile. The GPS told them to take a right, and they would arrive at their destination. They were at a gate. Titan pressed the button and a disembodied voice asked why they were there.

“Titan here to see Poindexter,” Titan replied, and the gate swung open.

They drove almost another mile before they arrived at the house, set in a valley. It was a large house, and April wondered about the owner. Real estate was not cheap in this area, and someone was either very much in debt, or they had a lot of money to spare.