Bondage Ranch 6: Taming the Mistress (11 page)

“
I
think he’s a heartbreaker. Never trust a man with a tattoo like that.”

“Laera! That’s so narrow!” But at Laera’s innocent look, a suspicion began to form in Sue’s mind. “You’re trying to bait me.” It was working too. She felt surprisingly loyal to Dane and wanted to defend him.

“Master Bruce told me to tell you he has Dane in the dungeon, if you want him.”

Sue leaned back against the dresser and thought about the situation. “There’s nothing really in it, is there? Tonight, perhaps, and the morning. Maybe that’s enough. But I think you’re right. He’s a heartbreaker.” Sue shrugged. “Mind helping me get into my corset?”

Laera shook her head. “No, not at all. Although if you want something less, well, um, in your face, then we could…”

Sue doubted any of Laera’s outfits would fit her. Laera was a delightfully curvy woman, with the large breasts men loved. Sue couldn’t fill something like that. But she couldn’t say anything, either, because Laera might take it as an insult. So she kept her mouth shut.

“Sam might have something that fits you,” Laera said, after a pause for reflection.

Sue considered it for a moment. Samantha wasn’t a close friend, but Sue had seen her variety of sexy outfits. The thought of walking out as a slutty schoolgirl had some appeal. But if Dane didn’t like it, she’d be mortified. “No, thank you.” Sue unbuttoned her shirt.

“What’s this?” Laera asked. She plucked the card from the waistband of Sue’s thong and read it. “Dane. There’s an e-mail—and a cell phone number. Looks like someone wants more than a weekend.”

Sue had felt the card when it went in but had been so distracted after that she’d forgotten about it. She snatched it from Laera and looked at it. “Maybe. Not an address. And that’s a New York City area code. He lives a long way away from us.” Sue lived in DC, Laera across the river in Northern Virginia. “He might leave one of these with all the girls. Doesn’t mean he’ll respond to an e-mail or answer the phone, much less meet with me outside of here.” She pulled on the pants.

“Maybe,” said Laera doubtfully. “Nowadays people have cell phone numbers that don’t match where they live.”

Sue picked up the corset and pulled it over her head. She situated it against her chest and then turned her back to Laera.

Laera pulled at the laces. “Maybe you could have one of those relationships where you swap off. You know, sometimes he’s the top, sometimes you are.”

Sue breathed shallowly. She wanted the corset to be tight, but she didn’t want to empty her lungs as Laera pulled the last string tight, either. That wasn’t a recipe for a clear head. In theory, what Laera described seemed utterly sensible. In practice, she thought it would be awfully hard to switch headspaces like that with someone. And she didn’t think she could have that with Dane. She’d challenged him from the start of their relationship, and she knew who the alpha between them was. For him to be in charge seemed natural, and it shocked her to admit that about any man. Even with Bruce, as much as she’d enjoyed submitting, it had never felt quite so clear to her. Then again, Bruce had always simply assumed he was the top; Dane had let her claw and scratch for it until he’d proved where he belonged. She knew she’d rebel and push back, but she couldn’t imagine him ever rolling over and baring his throat for her.

Maybe that was the attraction, but it seemed harsh to all the men who had submitted to her. Had she never respected them at all?

“Talk to me, Sue. What are you thinking?” Laera tugged, and Sue felt her lungs constrict.

“No tighter.”

Laera chuckled. “I will if you don’t talk.”

“That’s blackmail.”

“Correct.”

Sue sighed. If Laera pulled the strings any tighter, even sighing would be difficult. “Okay, I give. Is submitting to Dane betraying every man who ever submitted to me?”

“Like you’re making a pecking order? Dane on top? You next? And them, nonconsensually, under him? I don’t think it matters, Sue. He seems pretty straight, for one thing. Although… Wow, that would be hot to watch, wouldn’t it? Dane pushing Frank onto the floor, their bodies shining with sweat. Maybe he’d tell you to come over and lube him up, before he—”

“Down girl!” Sue laughed but was vaguely horrified at the same time. And turned on.

“Or you two could top a man together.”

“Again, down with the fantasies. Or…well, maybe we should have a girl’s night sometime and let ourselves go. But not right now. I need my head on straight.”

“Of course. But Sue, what you said isn’t right. Maybe you’re not living up to the fantasies they have of you. Sue the merciless. Sue the invincible. But those fantasies never last anyway, do they? They can always find someone who will do nastier things to them, if they want someone who is plain mean. What you’ve offered is something else. You told me about it once, long ago, when I was learning about the scene.” Laera tied off the corset.

Sue turned. “What was that?”

“Someone who knew what her subs wanted because you wanted it too. Someone who understood the emotions of submission. That was who you said you were. Everything they felt, you felt and enjoyed.”

Did I say that?
It sounded familiar. It sounded like it was a long time ago, but she’d only known Laera for a few years. Being a domme had changed her, although it hadn’t happened overnight. Hardened her. She admired her fellow dommes, but she wasn’t sure she liked herself now as much as she had when she’d met Laera. She pulled out a pair of strappy high-heeled sandals and slipped them on.

“Is that still what you get out of topping people, Sue?” Laera pressed.

Sue shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.” She wasn’t sure what she’d been getting out of it lately. Sure, she liked pleasing, and it was fun making a man get hard. Making him squirm was amusing. She did have a sadistic streak. But it didn’t make her motor run, or fuel her dreams when she played with herself at night. “I think I’ve been going through the motions. It’s not as much fun as it used to be, and maybe that’s why.”

“Or maybe you’re ready to move on. People change. You should talk to Samantha’s husband sometime.”

“Arthur? Why?” Samantha’s husband was also her master, and clearly was good at what he did, although he never played with anyone but Sam.

“Sam told me he used to be a sub. Saw it as an apprenticeship for being a master. The point is you’d never know it now, would you? He definitely wears the pants in that family, and from what Bruce has told me, Sam used to be a major brat.”

“Yep. Sam the SAM. Smart-assed masochist. Always figured the way to get what she wanted was to goad someone into giving it to her. That kind of thing can be fun for a bit. Wears thin with me and most doms pretty quickly.” She shrugged. “I think I’ve been doing that with Dane. But he doesn’t seem to mind.”

Laera stepped back. “You look all kinds of hot, Sue. He’s going to drool over you.”

“Well that wouldn’t be attractive, now would it?”

“I didn’t mean literally!”

Sue smiled. “Then let’s go.”

They both turned to the door. Someone was opening it. Had Laera left it unlocked? It was supposed to lock automatically. Sue had locked herself out that way once before. And only Alex Allison had the key.

Instead, it opened to reveal a buff young man wearing only leather jeans, with a shaved head, a chest as smooth as a woman’s, and dark, sultry eyes.

Sue froze. Keith stepped into the room, pushed the door closed, and knelt on the hard floor in front of Sue. “Hello, Miss Laera. Greetings, Mistress. Beautiful shoes.”

Sue clenched her fist.
What the hell is he doing here? And why now?
She supposed he was registered for the room, and whoever was working registration had to give him a key.
I’m not dealing with this
. She walked right by him and out the door, even though it was a tight fit. He grabbed for her ankles and almost caught them, causing her to trip, but she caught herself. Fortunately, Laera was right behind her, which positioned Laera between Sue and Keith.

Sue kept walking. She was aware of Keith scrambling to his feet behind her. She didn’t give him another look but walked all the way to the dungeon.

Dane was there, sitting with Bruce, as advertised.
God, he looks scrumptious
. Keith was a well-built man, but Dane looked like he could break him in two. The sight made of him made her stop for a moment. She didn’t want to look too eager.

“Mistress. I’m sorry. I managed to get away for a day, and I wanted to spend it with you.” Keith used her hesitation to get in front of her.

Away for a day, indeed. As if she wanted to be helping him cheat on his wife. Sue slapped him, hard.

His head jerked back, even though Sue’s years as a dominatrix made her take something off the blow. Faces were fragile, and small bones could be broken by a good slap, not to mention the danger of whiplash. Usually if she was going to slap a sub, she’d hold his chin so as to minimize the jerk, but this hadn’t been play.

“Thank you, Mistress,” he said and straightened.

Well, it wasn’t play for me, anyway
. “Get out of my way.”

“Do what you want to me. I didn’t come all this way for nothing.” Keith set his jaw.

Typical. It wasn’t really submission. Sue simply provided a different kind of service to him. Sue put her hands on his shoulders. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

She kneed him, hard, holding nothing back. She’d channeled her anger in a scene sometimes, but she’d never let it go before. He crumpled, and she gave him a shove, sending him sprawling on the floor.

“I’d do it again, but I don’t want to damage what belongs to your wife. I bet she’s a nice girl. Maybe you need to tell her how you like to be treated.” She moved to walk past him.

“She’d never understand. She’s more a submissive type.” He said it with disgust. “Not a real woman.”

“Well maybe I’m a submissive type too.” She walked across the room toward where she’d seen Bruce and Dane, resisting the urge to stomp on his hand with her heel. But Dane was gone. She looked around frantically, in time to see him leave through the dungeon door.

He thinks that was a scene. My God, he must think I’m the worst bitch ever if he thinks I do that for kicks.

She ran across the room to chase him, but it was no use in her high heels. She’d perfected the art of walking elegantly in them, but running was beyond her. She ended up stumbling and landing ungracefully on the floor, face-first. When she looked up, he was gone, and she had a sore ankle and an aching neck.

Laera was at her side almost immediately. “You okay?”

“Humiliated.” She tried to turn to get up, but her knee complained. She decided she could give it a moment.

Bruce was there a second later, and then Alex Allison arrived too. “There’s a doctor in town, fifteen minutes away, if you need one,” Alex said.

I better try to move
. She didn’t want to. She’d rather hide. But she rolled over onto her back and then flexed her knee. “I’ll be okay. My ego is bruised worse than my body.”

“It’s okay,” said Bruce. “Everyone here is human too.”

Sue chuckled. “Funny. I remember you trying to be an exception once.”

“I gave it up due to some prodding from a friend,” replied Bruce with a smile. “Don’t you pick up the baton.”

“Do you need any help, Mistress?” asked Keith. She noticed with pleasure and guilt that he was wincing. But mostly she was angry he was there at all. If he’d called or texted, she would have told him not to show.

“Get him the hell away from me before I do permanent damage,” Sue said.

“Keith, go somewhere else,” said Alex. “That’s an order.”

“You’re a sub,” said Keith dismissively.

“I’m the owner of this house,” said Alex. “I outrank every dom here, except for my husband.”

“I’m a paying guest.”

“A privilege I can revoke without notice, if you read what you signed. Go, and stay away from Sue.”

“I’m sharing a room with her.”

“Talk to Master Dylan. He’ll get you another room. We have a few couples who left a day early, so there are empty spots.”

Keith hesitated, and Alex glowered. “Do it! Now!”

Keith scampered.

“Submissive, my foot,” muttered Bruce.

“Only to one man,” replied Alex with a grin.

“As it should be,” said Laera.

Sue couldn’t let them lose sight of what was important right now. “Dane. Where did Dane go?”

Bruce shrugged. “I don’t know. Out. He got up the moment you slapped Keith, and left.”

“He thinks that was a scene, doesn’t he?”

“I guess. I thought so myself.”

That’s not the worst of it. He’s got to think it was staged for his benefit. He knows I knew he was there
. “Oh God.” She buried her face in her hands.

“So if it wasn’t a scene, what was it?” asked Alex.

Sue explained about Keith. Maybe she was violating a confidence, but she didn’t think she owed him keeping it, and Bruce and Laera and Alex wouldn’t blab it all over. Charging in and acting like he was entitled to room with her, without asking first, cleared her of responsibility as far as she was concerned.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” asked Alex. “Because I’m pretty sure I’d have no trouble finding a few handsome boys to carry you around, nor one to drive you to town.”

“I don’t want a few handsome boys. But I wouldn’t mind seeing one particular man right now.” Sue sighed. “I’ve really blown it. I guess my true nature came shining through, huh? And I’ve made a fool of myself.” She braced her hand on the floor to push herself up, and three hands extended to assist. She grabbed Bruce’s and Alex’s and let them help her to her feet.

“You can follow him if you want.”

“In this?” Sue gestured at what she was wearing. “It’s the perfect outfit if you wanted to show someone what a badass dominatrix you are. Which I just did. Besides, I think it’s raining.”

“Are you going to let a little rain stop a badass dominatrix like you from getting what she wants?” asked Laera.

“It’s not the rain. It’s a question of pride.”

“That can stop you too, if you let it,” said Bruce.

Chapter Eight