Empowered [Sexual Magic 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (4 page)

Gabriel’s mind swirled. He had only a vague idea of what those things were, but if he was correct, they did not appeal to him, either. He cast a sidelong glance at Madelyn. He couldn’t imagine calling her those harsh names, either. She was too sweet, too gentle for such callous depravity.

Why, then, did the idea send a sensual thrill through him?

“There are many varied ways of approaching a BDSM relationship, including absolute dominance right down to telling your slave when she can use the restroom. Common circumstances in this area can include anything from your slave sleeping on a pallet on the floor to kneeling beside you as you eat. She would be subject to discipline and punishment for absolutely no infraction at all. You could even order her to service other people in any way you, or they, wish. Does that sound like something you would enjoy?”

“No,” Gabriel said shortly. “It doesn’t appeal at all.”

“Okay. You mentioned role-playing with your ex-wife. What did you usually have in mind?”

He cleared his throat, cursed the flush of embarrassment which washed over him, and tried for nonchalance. “What I guess you’d consider the usual stuff. Teacher and schoolgirl, doctor and patient, cop and speeder. That kind of thing.”

“Did you ever realize those are all positions of power and submissive?”

He thought it over and shook his head, a rueful grin tipping his lips. “No, I really didn’t.”

Noah smiled and rubbed Madelyn’s ass, his hands kneading her flesh like bread dough. “It’s likely your subconscious has been sending you in this direction for quite some time.” He moved his massage up her back, down her butt again, and along her thighs. “Preparing the skin, as I’m doing now, will help prevent as much damage as possible. Okay, let’s get a little hands-on work, shall we?”

Gabriel looked at the nude Madelyn again. Her nipples were hard, and her lower lips pouted out just a bit more than before.

He inhaled and caught the scent of her growing arousal. It sparked an immediate corresponding reaction in him.

“Remember when I said Madelyn was a bit of a pain slut?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s because she can endure a lot from the flogger, canes, and paddles we use. That is her special ability. She has pain receptors, but they take a long time to kick in.” Noah’s face grew dark. “I’ve only seen it happen once.”

Gabriel wanted him to elaborate, but decided against asking. Obviously the situation was still a sore point for him.

“Most subs are not as strong as Madelyn. She is a rare exception. You must learn to control your blows, the tempo you use, and the number of strokes you will impart. Important body areas to avoid are the outside of the hips and the lower back. It’s generally a good idea to bind your sub, too.”

“Why?”

“Being struck generates an automatic response to get out of the way. They’ll dance around, which can cause you to injure them. Plus, being bound, unable to move or escape during the whipping, lends yet another layer of submission to the scene. I have some excellent reading material to give you to familiarize yourself further. They’ll cover everything from setting up your scene, types of whips, to the nuts and bolts of being in the scene.” He motioned to Madelyn. “Please come to the edge of the sofa, bend over the arm, and brace yourself.”

Her tits swayed deliciously as she moved. When she lowered her head and gripped the arm of the sofa to lean over, Gabriel hissed. Her sloping back was as pristine and pale as the rest of her.

He immediately envisioned her mottled with red stripes and hand prints that stung.

“That’s an interesting look, Gabriel,” Noah commented as he shook out a multitailed whip. “What were you thinking about?”

Gabriel’s gaze locked on the whip. He studied the ends, which looked to be about eighteen inches long and made of some kind of frizzy material. The handle was wrapped black leather, easily a foot long, and had a bulbous end which fit into Noah’s palm. How much damage would that inflict? It looked monstrous. Like the throngs could slice her skin with one blow.

“Gabriel?”

“What? Oh, what was I thinking?” He looked at Noah. “To be frank, I was thinking about how arousing her ass and back were going to look after the whip. And that you said ‘please’ to her.”

“Courtesy is never a bad thing, Gabriel, not to mention it can keep a sub off her guard.” He whirled the whip in the air, making a soft snapping and whirring sound. “This is a horsehair flogger.” He held up the ends to Gabriel. “Feel how soft that is?”

“Yes.”

“It lands against her body with a light touch, but as the strands wrap their way onto her skin, they snap and leave trails of fire in their wake. There are many kinds of floggers and whips out there. Leather ones, oddly enough, are usually not as painful as the horsehair ones. Madelyn says they offer a solid blow with more power, but less pain.”

That went against common sense, but Gabriel wasn’t about to quibble. The pair seemed to know what they were doing. So for now, he’d do what he’d always done—observe, learn, and when the time was right, employ knowledge.

“Being a Dom is all about the mind fuck,” Noah continued.

Gabriel lifted a brow. “What’s that?”

“Where you employ every means at your disposal to lure, taunt, entrap, and arouse your sub to great heights. You want them to beg you for the pleasure of release. You want them to be under your utter control, ready to do anything to please you. Over dinner, we’ll explore those topics, but for now…” He cracked the whip and Madelyn’s tight ass clenched.

“Now, it’s time for a flogging.”

Gabriel stepped more to the side and behind Noah, well out of whip range but still able to take in the enticing view of Madelyn’s tight body bent over the couch. Her skin glowed like a pearlescent moon, all wonderfully smooth planes and sumptuous valleys. Her breasts hung like droplets of rain on a palm tree, full and ripe, quivering with anticipation.

Gabriel itched to touch her, to find out for himself if her skin was as lush and soft as she appeared, but he remained still. He had a feeling Noah would not take kindly to him pawing his woman, regardless of their mission.

“Because this is a demonstration and not a punishment, we’ll go somewhat easy.”

He nodded.

Noah swished the whip then brought it down on Madelyn’s back. She arched into the blow, and a soft sound issued from her.

He struck her three more times in quick succession, the whip moving up and down her sleek back.

As predicted, her white skin showed the marks rapidly. Long and short licks of red danced along her spine. A couple wrapped her ribcage on the left where he could see.

Noah shifted positions and moved back a foot or so. “Now I’ll show you some overhand work. This type is harder and more striking. You must be careful here when using a slicing type of whip because the chance for damage is greater.”

Gabriel edged even farther to the side. He moved partly for a better view, but also to better hide the sudden erection he sported. Even more arousing than the scene in the bar downstairs, the sight of Noah whipping Madelyn fired all his sensual cylinders.

Her tiny groans and half sighs worked on his cock equally as well. “What do you mean by damage?” he asked before Noah could bring the whip down again.

The big, black-haired man paused, flogger throngs dancing with the halted motion. “There are some whips, and people, out there who can, and will, cause intentional harm to a body. Not like this.” He waved the flogger at Madelyn’s suddenly frozen posterior. “But with leathers wrapped in knots, soaked in water, embedded with tiny fragments of razors or metal or glass. Anything to permanently stripe and mar the skin of the woman beneath her.”

Gabriel sucked in a deep breath, eyes going wide in horror. “My God, why?”

“Our world is wide and varied. There are people who truly enjoy both the giving and receiving of such drastic pain. That is why control and knowledge are so very important, Gabriel. Not just knowing your submissive and her boundaries, but the power of the implements you’ll be using on her as well.”

“All right.” He grunted and waved a hand at the flogger. “I interrupted, please continue.”

Noah studied him for a minute. The stare was dark and intense and ruffled every hair on his body. He held still and let the other man finish with whatever silent intimidation he was attempting.

If he were honest, he’d admit it worked just a little bit. He
was
somewhat intimidated by the big man. Who wouldn’t be? He looked like he could crack walnuts with his biceps and the frost in his green eyes was far from friendly.

Finally, Noah turned with a rumble, snapping the whip again. “Overhand blows,” he picked up where he left off, “are always harder, impart more kinetic energy, and leave longer-lasting stings and markings. Pay attention to the rhythm I use this time.”

He gave four more quick slashes to Madelyn’s pulsing figure. Gabriel focused on the motion of Noah’s arm and wrist, noted how he turned his palm slightly inward on the down stroke.

The flogger dropped to Noah’s side, and Madelyn peered around her shoulder, now glimmering with a light sheen of sweat. “May I stand, Sir?”

“You may.”

Gabriel found he liked the formal language they used. It was polite and harkened back to days of chivalry. He snorted, amused at the contradictory images.

“You find something funny?” Noah asked with a growl.

Gabriel explained, curious as to why the other man was so tense and on edge. As if every word from his mouth, every action, was something to be scrutinized for a double meaning.

Hell, he should remind Noah
they
sought
him
out, not the other way around.

Noah flicked the flogger strands against his leg, a loud whoosh coming from him as he gave Gabriel a somewhat abashed lopsided grin. “Sorry, man. Being here at Pleasure Isles is a little stressful.”

“Noah, hush,” Madelyn scolded.

He waggled the flogger at her. Her cherry lips flattened in a compressed line of disapproval, but she went silent.

“We had a very nasty run-in with someone here. It shook us up a little bit and, while you’re not our first client since the incident, being here always puts me on edge. So, I apologize if I come across surly.”

Gabriel grinned. “Somehow, Noah, I think you’re always surly.” He filed the information away for later. Maybe he’d have someone do some additional subtle background work on this pair and that incident.

Madelyn’s soft chuckle further broke the tension, and Noah nodded, but a wistful look flitted over his face. “Yeah, now, but it wasn’t always that way. Oh well, let’s continue. Madelyn, go to the couch. We’re going up one step.” He tossed the flogger to Gabriel. “Hold that.”

As Noah rummaged in the black duffle bag, Gabriel slid the length of the whip through his fingers. The strands were still warm from striking Madelyn’s flesh. The grip held onto Noah’s body heat. The scent from the warmed leather was an aphrodisiac he hadn’t expected, and Gabriel felt his body react with another surge through his still-hard cock.

“Next we’re going to use the cat-o’-seven. This one is a little more serious. It imparts more pain, less enjoyment. It’s sometimes used for discipline instead of a pleasure flogging.”

“There’s a difference?” Gabriel set the flogger on a nearby table and studied the multitailed piece.

“Absolutely, but we’ll get into that a little later.”

The whip was a bit stouter than the others, with a long thick handle wrapped in black leather strips. The shank measured about three feet from the end of the hilt to the tips of the tails.

Not only did the whip feature multiple tails, but each end held a tight knot about the size of a jawbreaker candy.

Noah held the whip up and shook it lightly, sending the throngs slapping against each other. “This is a cat-o’-seven.” He spread the ends. “Only seven tails, but as you can see, pretty intimidating. Like this, it’s not so bad, though used incorrectly it can pack a wallop. Ready, Madelyn?”

“Sure,” she said, wiggling her cute tush.

Noah swung the whip, and it thudded then slapped along her back. She gasped and straightened her spine, but didn’t come off the couch. He added a few more strokes then stilled the whip.

“Now, add some water to it and the tails come down with a harshness that few will tolerate, which makes it a great discipline whip. I’ll soak the tails for a minute or two in the sink.”

He strode from the room and water splashed into the bathroom sink.

Gabriel turned his attention to Madelyn and found her leaning against the couch, arms crossed under her breasts, lifting them invitingly.

His fingers itched to touch her.

She smiled then inclined her head. “Come here, Gabriel.”

He shook his head. “Not a good idea, Madelyn.”

“Oh, I disagree.” Her cerulean gaze dropped to his tented crotch, and she licked her lips.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

“Mm, from the looks of you, that would be lovely. But for now, why don’t you come here and touch me? I know you want to.” She arched her back and cupped her tits with her palms, lifting them toward him. “Just a taste, Gabriel?”

His mouth went dry, and he shunted a look toward the bathroom.

“I don’t poach another man’s woman, Madelyn.” But damn, for the first time in his life, he was seriously tempted to break that rule. Madelyn’s face and figure were a siren’s call he found hard to resist.

Her eyes widened, and she laughed, a light musical sound that slid in and around him, licking him everywhere, turning him on even more.

“
Chéri
, I am not his woman. We are partners,
non
? We help each other, we don’t belong to each other.”

From the possessive vibe he’d been gleaning off Noah, Gabriel called total bullshit on her claim.

“Uh-huh, darlin’, not happening.”

“What’s not happening?”

Madelyn gasped and spun around, flattening to the couch and poking her derriere back into the air.