Empowered [Sexual Magic 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (3 page)

Gabriel looked uncomfortable, and Noah squelched a hint of satisfaction. Something about the other man rubbed him sideways. Not a dislike, by any means, but more of a sense this client was going to be extremely difficult to guide. Already he sensed Gabriel’s stubborn nature.

He was arrogant, assured, and analytical. Normally good things for a Dom, but in this case, it just might impede the training process. Noah hid a smile behind his glass as he plotted a way to have Mr. Fleming on his knees and taking his whip.

After all, what better way to learn how to wield power than by
submitting
to power?

But he suspected that was something they’d have to work up to.

Gabriel shifted in the chair, took another sip of his drink, then shrugged. “First and foremost, I liked her position.”

“Why?”

He thought for a moment. “She appeared very vulnerable, I think. Unless she turned to look, she could not see what was about to happen to her. She placed herself at this man’s mercy.” He looked up, a self-mocking twist on his lips. “Crazy, huh?”

“Not at all,” Noah replied. “Overall, it is about trust. Your sub trusts you to know what pleases her, what does not, what her hard and soft limits are, and how and when you should try to break them. What else?”

“What is the difference between a hard and soft limit?” Gabriel asked.

“We’ll get into that later. Right now continue telling us what drew you to that scene. And, if you’ve witnessed anything else you’ve enjoyed, I want to hear about that as well.” He infused his tone with just a hint of authority. Not enough to make Gabriel balk, but enough to get his attention.

The other man snapped a sharp, assessing glare his way, but Noah merely smiled.

“All right, I’m game. For now.”

Noah inclined his head at the subtle challenge.

“The expression on her face as he was hitting her.”

“Spanking her,” Madelyn chimed in. “
Hitting
has such a negative connotation.”

“Fine, spanking her. I was intrigued by the way her mouth opened and closed with each blow and how her eyes sparkled. I could tell she was both dreading the next spank and relishing it. I also thought he should be delivering the blows a little harder. I liked the sound of the sandal as it landed against her ass, but I felt he was going about it in an almost timid kind of way.”

Noah stiffened. “How much harder?” Was Clarissa wrong and this guy another Krista? Not into the mental aspects of BDSM, just mental?

Gabriel shrugged. “I don’t know, just harder. She looked like she was enjoying it, and I guess that’s good, but I would have liked to see her squirm a bit more.” He paused and smiled. “I also liked the way her skirt was tossed up her back. Much more seductive than if she’d been fully nude. Though that would not be bad, either.”

Frustration rose in Noah. This kind of discussion wasn’t garnering him the results he wanted. The conversation was too conceptual and not enough action. But before he put anything into action, he wanted some answers.

“How would you feel about drawing blood?”

Gabriel’s startled and instantly repulsed expression put Noah at ease. He drew a much calmer breath.

“Hell, no. That’s too much, man.”

“Do you know the saying ‘safe, sane, and consensual’?”

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, it’s hard to escape it, these days. Seems to be floating everywhere in pop culture.”

“Do you understand it?” Noah pressed.

“Sure. It’s a pretty basic concept. There are rules so neither person is hurt beyond what they wish to be. Or made to do something they wouldn’t like.” He lifted a brow. “Is that where the difference in limits comes in?”

“Exactly.” Noah nodded toward Madelyn. “Say, for example, Madelyn had a soft limit of no anal sex. As her Dom, it is your job to push that limit so far that, not only does she agree to having her ass plugged, but she begs you to do so. In essence, you force her to ask for something she originally refused.”

He could tell his deliberate choice of words aroused Gabriel, who now looked at Madelyn with narrow-eyed speculation.

For her part, Madelyn appeared both shy and peeved. She kicked Noah under the table. Wincing, he glared at her.

“A hard limit would be something like no permanent marks like nipple or clit piercings or brands.”

Gabriel’s instant recoil finally set Noah’s mind at ease. He stood and finished his drink. “I think we should take this discussion to our suite where we have a bit more privacy for demonstration. Madelyn.”

She immediately rose with fluid grace.

Gabriel was much slower to stand, though he finally did. He, too, finished off his martini. “I’ll close out my tab.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Noah turned to Madelyn. “Are you up for playing?”

Her smile was sweetly devilish. “Of course. I assume I’ll be punished for some infraction?”

He winked and took her arm. “You
did
kick me, didn’t you?”

She pouted and ran her fingers up his chest. “Only a little, and you deserved it,
chéri
.”

Noah squeezed her soft skin. “You never kick your Dom without punishment, love, you know that.”

Her huff of amused annoyance was sweet along his cheek. He grinned as he kissed her softly. “Come on, let’s go see what kind of mettle our CEO has.”

They joined Gabriel at the bar just as he finished signing the bill.

“Ready?” Noah asked.

“Lead on.”

He led them off the patio and onto the silken sands of the beach, heading for their ocean-front suite. The Council did not skimp on amenities for their Enrichers. They’d been booked into a lush and large fantasy suite. One decked out with implements specific to their requests, but he always brought a few favorite toys of his own. Not to mention, it tickled the hell out of him to see the expressions on the TSA agent’s face as he passed through airport security.

More than once, his bag had been opened for inspection, and he had a good time explaining in detail the use of each toy. He liked corrupting the vanilla world whenever possible.

As they walked along the sidewalk that wrapped through the beach, Noah felt a strange sensation, like a spider walking up his neck. He slapped at the back of his head, but nothing was there.

“What is wrong,
chéri
?” Madelyn asked.

“Don’t know,” he muttered, his gaze bouncing to all the people surrounding him. “Just an odd feeling.”

She swallowed hard, and her glance, too, searched out those around them.

Noah knew they were both thinking of Krista.

“She’s not here,” Noah said and hoped like hell he was right.

He flicked a glance at Gabriel. Aside from a look of mild curiosity, he didn’t ask any questions about their mention of Krista.

Noah linked fingers with Madelyn and gave her a reassuring squeeze. He would not leave her alone.

Never again.

Noah inserted his key card into the lock and pushed the door open when it blinked green. He ushered them inside the tenth-floor room, slapped the “Do Not Disturb” placard on the handle, threw the dead bolt, and turned around.

“What kind of demonstrations are you proposing?” Gabriel asked as they made their way into the room.

“That will depend on you, Gabriel,” Noah said. “Let’s sit and talk a bit more.”

They moved into the spacious living room. A large couch flanked by two wingback chairs dominated the space. Between them sat a very sturdy wooden coffee table complete with convenient spaces to attach D rings and restraints.

“Sit down,” Noah said to Gabriel.

Again, a silent span of deliberation before he took a chair. Noah turned around, hiding his grin. Gabriel Fleming did
not
like being told what to do.

“What appeals to you about being a Dom?”

“The control aspect of it.”

Of course.

“In what way?”

Gabriel looked at him as though he were an idiot. “I like it when people do what I tell them to do. I like being in control.”

“Have you ever not been in control?” Madelyn asked. “Have you had a situation where you were forced to give it up?”

He shrugged. “A few times, yes. I hated it, but I’m sure you figured that out.”

She smiled. “I did.”

“So, you’ve not been involved in any level of BDSM? No sexual forays into spanking or humiliation or anything like that with your wife?”

Gabriel’s laugh was harsh and bitter. “Marcy was even more controlling than I am. She always complained I tried to force her to do things, but I disagreed.”

“What kinds of things?”

The question seemed to throw him and he frowned. “I don’t know. Sexual positions—she was very much a strictly missionary kind of girl—some role-playing, blindfolds. I once tied her wrists with a silk tie, but she wouldn’t have any of it and screeched until I released her.”

Noah knew exactly what he’d been through. Gabriel’s own hazy discovery of his dominant personality mirrored his in some ways. When he’d been scryed and contacted by the Council, his own awakening took a long time. He was cocky and on the verge of bucking authority every single day. Like an ass, he thought being a Dom meant being a dick.

Then Madelyn had entered his life, turned it upside down, and smacked the truth into his thick skull. She’d curbed his wild, bad boy mannerisms and helped him channel them into more positive, productive things.

Like whipping her ass.

They’d been paired together, and she quickly took him in hand and showed him what the D/s relationship was really about. In the ten years since, they’d never been apart, and he was grateful. Madelyn probably didn’t know just how close he’d been to the edge. How her soft ways and French stubbornness saved his life.

“Did you ever try to spank her?”

“No.”

“Ever want to?”

His chuckle was more natural this time. “I wanted to tan her ass for being such a damn bitch, especially toward the end of our marriage. Nothing for sexual gratification, though.”

“Fair enough. We’ve already established you’re aroused by the sight of corporal punishment. I’d like to see how it affects you in a real life setting. I might even let you participate.”

“Now?” Gabriel asked.

“No time like the present. Madelyn, strip.”

* * * *

Gabriel shot to his feet. “Whoa, hold on there. I’m not sure about this.”

But Madelyn was already up and disrobing. Gabriel couldn’t tear his gaze from her lithe body as it came into view. The red sundress fluttered to the arm of the sofa, leaving her clad only in the miniscule panties and matching red bra.

Though she could weigh no more than one hundred twenty-five pounds—maybe if she carried two gallons of milk—Madelyn filled out her lingerie superbly. Big, round breasts, a small waist, hips that flared and looked like they could really take a crushing grip, and long, taut legs.

His cock stirred in his khakis, but Gabriel knew seeing her half-naked was only a contributing factor to his arousal. All this talk of bondage and whipping had fired his sexual imagination.

And yet Madelyn’s tiny frame sparked a surge of protectiveness in him. She was so small and could be easily hurt.

But her eyes flared with lust and desire. The twin looks encouraged and inflamed him. Gabriel was torn for a moment. He should walk away. He couldn’t hurt her. He wouldn’t hurt her.

His gaze drifted down her body as she slowly spun around. The vibrant red lace of her panties cupped the swell of her ass lovingly, and his palm itched as protective reasoning fled.

Desire flooded him, and he wondered just how her skin would feel beneath a blow.

Would he spank her with his bare hand? Or perhaps Noah had something different in mind, like a slightly more wicked implement.

Or maybe both?

His dick jerked again.

Madelyn kept a steady gaze on him as she reached behind and unclasped her bra, freeing her bountiful tits.

Gabriel feasted his eyes upon them. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

“Thank you, Sir.” She dipped her head in acknowledgement then shimmied from her panties.

“God,” he whispered. She was shaved bare, and he could see the sweet ruby flare of her lower lips. The juxtaposition between her naked pubes and the deep red arousal of her pussy lips served only to drive his desire higher.

“Obviously, Madelyn is a submissive,” Noah said. “She will obey your every command or face punishment. Each sub’s version of a punishment is different, just as each Dom’s idea is different.”

“What do you mean?”

Noah walked to Madelyn and stood just behind her and to the side. He cupped her right tit and stroked upward until his fingers encircled her dusky-rose nipple. “Madelyn has very sensitive nipples. So much so, using clamps is almost impossible. She hates them.” He grinned. “Which makes them the perfect punishment tool for her. On the flip side, she truly enjoys being spanked and whipped. My little Madelyn here is something of a pain slut.”

Gabriel jerked at the word
slut
. The derogatory word should have sounded wrong, should have offended her, and him. But it didn’t.

Instead, his dick swelled more and the intoxicating scent of her sweet, musky arousal filled his nostrils.

She looked sweetly expectant, and he felt possessive compassion encompass him. If she needed those words then he would be glad to give them to her. Gabriel reminded himself that these terms were for bedroom play only. From what he’d seen of Madelyn outside this realm, she was a strong woman capable of taking care of herself.

He found himself deeply attracted to both sides of her.

“Humiliation can be another aspect of play, if that is on your partner’s list. Madelyn will accept such things, but only to a certain extent. She does not mind me calling her names like ‘whore’ and ‘slut’ and ‘bitch,’ but one of her hard limits is puppy or pony play. She will not be led on a leash or used for any kind of service.”