Bondage Ranch 6: Taming the Mistress (13 page)

And the only reason I’ve been willing to share is because I’ve never wanted a relationship.

He blinked. Why was he thinking about one now? First he’d listen to what she had to say.

In the meantime, he had plenty of work to do. He pushed the thought of Sue out of his mind and threw himself into it.

Chapter Nine

“Think he’ll show?” Laera asked. She was sitting perched on a bar stool.

“No idea. I don’t even know if he’s late yet. Alex said she didn’t pin him down on a time,” Sue said. She sat with Laera and Bruce at the same high table, to the left of the bar and twenty feet from the X-frame on which a big, curvy sub was receiving an intense flogging. Sue’s heart was pounding.

She’d had a good conversation with Arthur, Sam’s dom. Arthur had told her about his need to mark transition when he had gone from being a sub to a dom, and the idea had played heavily on her mind since. To submit once was one thing. To be a submissive was a big change, and not something she could just slide into without ceremony.

“My favorite piece of equipment just freed up. Come on, Laera,” said Bruce, getting up and lifting his bag of rope. Bruce’s favorite was a bar hanging from the ceiling on a sturdy chain, which could be raised and lowered with a winch.

“Good luck, honey,” Laera said, giving Sue a quick hug before following Bruce.

The couple had been a mostly welcome distraction, but at the same time, they were very much a couple, and Sue felt very single around them. She realized she’d been in some kind of relationship almost constantly for quite a while, always having one sub but at one point as many as three. She’d had plenty of offers the last few weeks. News of the incident with Keith at Bondage Ranch traveled fast, and with it, a rumor of her availability. She’d always been very selective about whom she took on as a sub, but lately, she’d simply been rejecting all offers. None of the submissive men had excited her the way Dane had.

I’ve changed.

She wasn’t sure the change was for the better, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it either. Since Dane had walked into her life, she was different, and she couldn’t take the same pleasure she had from topping. She scanned the room again. If this evening went as planned, no one here would look at her the same way again. Top or bottom, the facade would be broken, and she would simply be Sue. She’d convinced herself she was strong enough for that. If Dane could help her get there, it would be enough, even if it was for one night.

She almost didn’t recognize him when he entered, despite his size. His blond locks were tied back in a ponytail, for one thing, but mostly it was his attire. He wore the pants and vest of an expensive, tailored three-piece suit. His oxford shoes were polished to a shine. He didn’t look like he belonged in Crypt of Fate one bit.
Is that what he wears to work?
He was still sexy in business clothes. It was just a different kind of sexy.

He looked around the place, and his eyes passed right over her. Sue chuckled. He too was looking for an outfit perhaps, one of her trademark leather or latex looks. Instead, she wore a simple black cocktail dress. She waved, and he noticed her on the second pass.

Sue had the evening planned. She’d even practiced parts of it. But already Dane had walked in looking different than she’d anticipated, and she had the feeling those plans were going to go in an entirely different direction.
Which might be fine, if he leads them there.

He pulled up a seat. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Finally, he broke the silence. “Hello, Sue.”

“Hello, Dane.”

The silence dragged on longer.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea
. Still, she’d asked him to come here. She couldn’t expect him to break the ice.

“You’re not dressed as I expected.” It wasn’t what she’d planned to say.

“I worked late and came straight here.”

“I think everyone here can figure that out.” Sue covered her mouth. “Oops, did I say that out loud?”

“You did.” He grinned.

Sue started again, this time as she’d rehearsed. “I wanted to see you again at Bondage Ranch. But you left before I could say anything.”

“Alex said you fell and twisted your ankle.”

“Word of advice. Never run in high heels.” Sue gave a wry smile.

Dane chuckled. “Advice I’ll follow. So what was the deal with that guy? Alex said he deserved it.”

Sue took a deep breath. She still got pissed off whenever she thought of Keith. “He and I had been in a relationship for a while, long distance. We’d chat online and meet at clubs up and down the East Coast. He lived in a New York suburb, and I lived around here. I didn’t think much of the fact that something always seemed to come up whenever the plan was to stay over at his house. Even when we went to clubs in New York, he’d get us a hotel so we didn’t have as far to go. It seemed efficient, and I liked him spending his money on me, I guess.”

Dane nodded and to her surprise put a hand on her shoulder. She thought she was managing to avoid shaking with emotion, but maybe it was obvious. “Anyway,” Sue continued, “he told me he was married a few weeks before Bondage Ranch, and I broke it off. He wanted to continue to see me. He thought I’d respect him for his honesty or some such garbage, but of course he wasn’t being honest with his wife. And it took him quite a while to be honest with me.”

“That sucks.”

Sue’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me you’re not in some kind of relationship.”

“I’m not in some kind of relationship,” Dane said.

“Doesn’t do much good if I tell you what to say, does it?”

Dane shook his head. “Well, maybe not with your subs. But do you honestly think I’d say something because you told me to say it? I haven’t been in a relationship for some time. I’m not sure I’m a relationship kind of guy.”

“Oh.” Sue’s heart sank. She’d told herself she wanted to explore what she had with him without expectations. But the pain in her gut told her she’d been lying to herself. She wanted to explore, yes—but at some level she wanted it to work too.

“There was a girl who I was almost ready to make an exception for, not too long ago,” Dane mused aloud.

“A submissive girl?”

“Possibly. I think I’ve mentioned to you I think those classifications have their limits. But in our dynamic, yes, I believe she was submissive. Even that was cloudy. Or interesting. Depends on how you look at it. I’ll go with interesting.”

“Lucky girl. What happened?”

“Well, I’m hoping she’s about to finish a story she was telling me. So what happened next, after you dumped him?”

He means me
. The ache in her heart continued, but it was more like a fast beating than a knot now. “Oh! I thought it was very well settled. He had booked a room with me at Bondage Ranch, but he wasn’t going to show up. I, well, I ordered him not to show up.”

“But since you weren’t in a relationship with him, your order didn’t carry the same weight, did it?”

“No. Although he wanted to have it both ways. He showed up wanting to share my room, but he got there just as I was leaving to look for you. Then he followed me, and maneuvered himself into my way. So I slapped him—I wasn’t thinking like a domme; I felt insulted as a woman. And he stood there as if he was baiting me to do that all along. ‘Thank you ma’am may I have another’ or some such. As if by slapping him I was acknowledging we were still in a relationship.”

“So you decided to do something more drastic.”

Sue nodded. “It wasn’t one of my finer moments. But I wanted to take that little submissive look and jam it up his ass. When I put my hands on him, and it was clear he wasn’t going to resist, maybe I should have pulled back. But God, he had it coming. And I hate to say it, but I was impatient. He was getting between me and you.”

Dane raised his eyebrows. “So it’s my fault?”

Sue did a double take and decided Dane wasn’t being serious. “Yep. Pretty much,” she said cheerfully. “What choice over her actions did a little woman like me have when a man like you is waiting on the other end?”

“Now you’re being sarcastic.”

“Good catch. Seriously, it was all playing into my head, but it’s my responsibility. Honestly, I’d probably do the same thing again in the same situation. I lost my temper, but I think I had a right to. If it makes me undesirable to you, well, that’s the way it is. I can’t even promise you’ll never be the brunt of it, if you screw up badly. Maybe even if you push a limit too hard or manage to trigger something deep inside me.”

“Sounds risky.”

Sue looked him over. He was so big. “I think you might be able to stop me from hurting you.”

“Maybe.” His eyes danced with amusement.

“Did you mean what you said about considering a relationship?” asked Sue.

Dane chuckled. “Did I say that out loud?”

Sue grinned. “You sure did.”

“Then I must have meant it. But I don’t think I will ever submit to you, Sue. Which makes me concerned. You’ve got a reputation. An image. And it’s all part of you.”

“See that mat over there?” She pointed to one up against the wall.

“Yeah. For safety, underneath suspensions, I’d expect. Although I see Bruce is using a different one.”

Sue nodded. “It’s also good for wrestling. One time, I had two men, naked, wrestling on that mat while I sat on a throne and watched. They were both straight, but they had to think about me the entire time, because the rules were if either of them lost their erection, they’d have lost the match. The winner—the one who pinned the other—would get to pleasure me with his tongue. The loser would be tied up and forced to watch. They willingly, eagerly agreed.” The memory of it made her pussy tingle even now. It had been a delicious moment.

Dane’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Well, it
is
a part of me. And that memory will be with me forever. It makes me wet. I want you to know who I am, and what I’ve been into. But if I did that again, would it be the same? And the third time? No, I’d start to be bored. Maybe even my boredom would be a turn-on for some. It doesn’t matter. I don’t need more of that in my life right now and maybe not ever. But I do need a partner I can share with, so if that makes you want to walk out, I want to know.”

Dane smiled. “And if it doesn’t?”

“If it doesn’t, then I’m yours. And if you don’t believe I can submit to you, then test me. Strip me naked, here and now, if you like. Put me in cuffs and a collar and make me kneel, crawl, whatever you wish. Here, in front of everyone. Let me prove it to you.” She stared at him, her breath quickening. It scared and aroused her. She’d been picturing him stripping her for the last week. She knew she couldn’t be halfway with him, and if she did that in public, there’d be no turning back. A dozen former and potential subs would be watching. But she wasn’t going to miss out, whatever it took to hook the first man she’d been able to submit to in years.

“I didn’t bring cuffs. Or a collar.”

“There is a vendor right there.” Sue pointed. “You can get any gear you wish.” She bit her lip. “You can even get me to pay for it.” It had been one of the perks of being a domme. So much of her own equipment had been a gift from some submissive or another.

He laughed. “I’m not going to make you pay for it, Sue. I hate to be sexist, but allow me my male ego. Unless you’ve won the lottery recently?”

She shook her head. “No. I make a decent living as an administrative assistant, but I haven’t bought a lottery ticket in ages. The math doesn’t work out. The odds are horrible.”

Dane grinned. “The math, hmm? I like you.” He leaned over close. “If you really wish to submit, I’m going to ask you to do something much scarier than me leading you around the club naked on a leash.”

Leash? I didn’t say anything about a leash
. But she knew she would, if he asked.
Scarier?
“What?”

“I’m going to ask you to get your coat and let me take you to my place.”

She blinked. There was real risk there. And yet it was the way she had always imagined the evening would end. “Yes,” she said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “You should never just say yes, Sue. Here’s my license.” He pushed it across the table to her. “Take it to someone you trust and have them take down the name and address and tell them you’re going with me.”

“Are you teaching me a lesson in case I do this with someone else?”

“Yes.”

Sue smiled. “Lord and Master Dane the Magnificent, I will never be doing this with anyone else. It’s taken years for a man to reach me this way. I don’t think you have to worry. But as you order, so shall it be done.” She picked up the license.

Across the room, Bruce had Laera trussed up and floating four feet off the ground, supported by one leg, an arm, and her waist. Bruce took a step back to admire his handiwork. Sue hated to interrupt a scene, but Laera and Bruce were the logical people to go to. Sue got up and walked over to him. Laera looked totally blissed-out and in subspace.

She waited while he readjusted the ropes, knowing he’d step back again. When he did, she caught his eye. She showed him the license, hoping he’d understand without using words to disrupt Laera’s headspace. He smiled and studied it for a moment. He had a very good memory, and it probably didn’t matter anyway. Alex knew Dane, and Bruce knew how to reach Alex. Nothing was completely safe, but she’d taken all the precautions she could. Bruce kissed her lightly on the forehead.
You go play now
, it seemed to say. It felt good. What felt even better was knowing she didn’t feel she needed Bruce’s blessing. That chapter was done, as was the one after that. A new one was beginning, however things worked out with Dane.

She walked back to Dane and gave him back his license. “All yours,” she said.

“Why, Sue? Why me?”

She blinked. She didn’t understand the question.

“I understand you wanted to make a statement here in the club with your offer to be stripped and, well, humiliated, for lack of a better term. And when I am sure of where you stand and you’re truly happy moving on, I will help you make that statement. But you have plenty of friends here who would help you with that in any of a number of ways. Why did you want me?”