The Plume: The Second Anthology (28 page)

“No.” Rex’s tone was harsh. He was edgy,
still fired up from his terror. Leya knew he had to shout it out,
or expel it in some other way. “It
says
that being bound and
blindfolded is code red for me. That means it should never happen.
Never!”

Athena shrugged. “You had to know you weren’t
going to be hurt. No one gets hurt at the Plume...”

“You had no right to violate my code red! Or
that of any other member!” Rex pointed his finger at Athena. “Don’t
you understand what you’ve done here? You’ve violated the
fundamental principle of the Plume, and destroyed my trust. I no
longer know that I’m safe here, because you ignored my file.”

Athena propped her hands on her hips and
looked skeptical. “You’re making too much of this.”

“I don’t think so,” Leya said quietly.

“Don’t let him fool you. This isn’t about
principle and it isn’t about safety,” Athena said. “It’s about my
accusing Rex of jeopardizing the Plume by having this exhibit of
his work. He has to even the score and accuse me of doing the same
thing.” She sighed and turned away, missing the blaze of anger in
Rex’s eyes. “Men are such children.”

“Is that right?” he said, a thrum of fury
beneath his words. He shut off his laptop with savage gestures and
shoved it aside, nearly pushing it off the edge of the desk. “Well,
then, you won’t be surprised that I’m going to take my toys and
play elsewhere.”

“What?” Athena spun to face him in obvious
surprise.

“I’m leaving. I’m quitting the Plume.” He bit
off the words. “It’s all yours. Whatever we had is over.” Rex ran a
hand over his head and surveyed the office, although Leya guessed
he wasn’t really seeing what was before his eyes. “I’ll take a
shower, then pack up my stuff and get out of here.”

Athena was surprised. “But you can’t
leave...”

“Why? Because you have the sole right to
terminate our partnership?” Leya knew that Rex was repeating
something back at Athena, something they’d argued about before. She
looked as if she’d been slapped. But Leya was on Rex’s side. “Don’t
kid yourself, Athena,” he continued. “I’m sure Julius can find a
way around that.” Rex gave her a hard look. “I’m gone, as of this
minute.”

And he pivoted to march out of the office,
leaving Athena with her mouth open.

“He doesn’t mean it,” she said, and Leya
wondered who she was trying to convince.

“I think he does. Disappointing a man of
principle has its costs.”

Athena gave Leya a considering glance. “You
sound as if you agree with him.”

“I do. Code red is inviolable.”

“Don’t you believe in pushing the boundaries
to new experiences?”

“Not without everyone’s agreement.” Leya
exhaled in frustration, disliking how much this incident had
changed everything. “It’s not going to be easy to make this come
right.”

“Then don’t,” Athena said with a shrug.

Leya was more annoyed by her reaction than
she might have expected. “Don’t you ever care about something
enough to forget your pride?” she demanded. She saw that Athena was
startled but didn’t care.

She had to find Rex.

* * *

It was hours before Eric could leave Joanna
alone. After she was covered with a patina of sweat and a
crisscross of red lines, he took her hard from behind. Her hungry
puss locked around him as if she’d suck him dry and he came fast
that first time, unable to resist her.

He changed her bonds then, straightening her
up with her wrists bound together over her head, tugged closed to
the ceiling. He ate her then, making her come in great racking
gasps before he lifted her off her feet and took her that way.

She was unsteady when he put her down, but he
couldn’t stand it. He bent her over the leather bench, the spreader
bar still holding her ankles wide apart, and worked lubricant into
her ass. She moaned and struggled, but he slapped her once hard and
the fight went out of her with a shudder. He pushed his fingers
inside her, unable to believe how tight she was. It was the only
time she struggled against him and he remembered Mike’s
warning.

He’d have to work her up to this.

One night just wasn’t going to do.

That thought had him ready to go all over
again. He moved around the other side of the bench and unfastened
the clips that held her wrists together. He pulled her forward so
that her breasts hung over the lip of the bench on that side. He
stretched out her arms and locked her wrists down on either side,
so that they were along the edge of the bench even with her
shoulders.

“Are you helpless?” he demanded and she made
that little moan.

He was thumping with the need to take her
again. He removed her gag, then bent down before her and kissed her
with possessive force. When they parted, he was panting and as hard
as steel. “What do you say?” he whispered.

“Thank you, Master Eric.”

He ran his hands over her head. “I’m going to
spank you again, for being such a demanding little sex slave.”

“Yes, Master Eric.”

“And you’re going to thank me after every
strike.”

She licked her lips. “Yes, Master Eric.”

He leaned closer and dropped his voice to a
whisper. “And then I’m going to ask Master Mike to give you to me
for good.”

Her mouth worked in silent consternation for
a moment.

“Would you like that, Joanna?”

She swallowed, then she spoke in a husky
whisper. “If Master Mike would like it, then I would, too.”

Eric chuckled to himself. “Does Master Mike
spank you?”

“Yes, Master Eric.”

“How?”

“He likes to spank me pink before he takes
me, Master Eric.”

Eric moved to consider the array of choices.
Mike certainly hadn’t stinted on having the right tools. They were
all high quality. He considered the bull whip, liking its thick
braided leather. “What does he use to spank you?”

“His hand, Master Eric. His leather gloves.
The leather paddle. Sometimes the riding crop.”

Good old Mike, ensuring that she wasn’t
really marked or hurt. Eric would bet that he didn’t wield the
riding crop very hard. He’d seen Mike’s shock when he’d chosen the
cat o’ nine tails. “Does Mike keep you captive?”

“Yes, Master Eric.”

Eric glanced at her, interested. “For how
long?”

“A night or a weekend.” She swallowed again.
“Once for a week, Master Eric.”

A week. A week of having a submissive captive
in the basement. The idea was intoxicating. It made Eric want to
move in. He chose a wide leather belt, noticing that his hand was
shaking slightly. “And do you like it? Being his captive?”

“I like to please Master Mike.”

He turned to look at her. “And do you want to
please me?”

“Yes, Master Eric.”

“Why?”

“Because Master Mike commanded me to.”

“Then count along with me, Joanna.” Eric
swung the belt suddenly. The leather cracked across her ass, making
her jump with its impact and surprise.

“One, Master Eric,” she said, her voice
rising slightly.

“Get up on your toes and put that ass in the
air. I want you to invite the belt.”

She did as she was told, even though her butt
had to be stinging.

Eric couldn’t stand her obedience. She was
everything he’d dreamed of finding.

Somehow he had to have more than this one
night.

“Beg me to do it again.”

“Please, Master Eric, strike me again.” She
licked her lips, the sight of her tongue making him even hotter.
“Please, Master Eric, do it harder than the last time.”

Eric laughed aloud. Joanna was perfect.

And he was going to give her exactly what she
deserved.

* * *

Mike was drinking a beer from the bottle when
Eric came up to the kitchen. His old friend’s mood was exactly
opposite to his own. Eric looked triumphant and satisfied.

Mike was miserable.

It wasn’t Eric’s fault.

“Want one?” he asked, waving the bottle.

“Oh yeah. But just one.” Eric grinned. “The
night is young.”

It was well into morning, but Mike declined
to comment to that effect. He got a bottle from the fridge and
opened it, handing it to his friend. No surprise that Eric was
watching him closely.

“So, walk me through this,” Eric said, after
taking a swig of beer. “I thought you wanted to share her.”

“I did.”

“But you’re up here.”

“My choice.”

“But that’s not sharing. That’s giving.”

Mike waved a hand, impatient with the
distinction. He nodded at the clock. “It’s four already. This ends
at six.”

Eric leaned against the counter, considering
him. Mike knew his friend would see more than he would have
preferred. Eric could be annoying like that.

“What’s this really about?” he demanded
quietly.

“She has this fantasy. I’m trying to make it
come true.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “But why?”

Mike was impatient. “Because I love her.
Because we’re going to get married.” Even as he said the words, he
wasn’t as convinced of their truth as he had once been.

“Ah!” Eric took a long drink of beer.
“Because you want her to check it off her list.”

Mike nodded, got himself another beer.

He had the fridge door open when Eric
spoke.

“Because you didn’t think she’d like the
reality as much as the fantasy.”

Mike froze, then turned and shut the fridge.
He opened his beer. “What if I did?”

“Then you’d be pretty unhappy with her
reaction tonight. She’s totally into it.”

“Don’t remind me,” Mike said grimly and took
a swig of beer.

Eric watched him closely. “You never minded
sharing before.”

“Maybe I was never in love before. “ He
nodded at the clock. “Tick tock, make your time count.”

“But that’s just the thing, Mike.” Eric
finished his beer and left the bottle on the counter. “I don’t
think one night’s going to be enough.”

“But that’s the deal.”

“It was the deal. I want to renegotiate. We
should ask Joanna.”

Mike dropped his gaze, guessing what she’d
say.

“And the thing is that if you think that you
can ever lock this place against me, or hide that piece of puss
from me in any way, then you’ve forgotten everything you’ve ever
known about me.”

“I haven’t forgotten one thing,” Mike said
through his teeth.

Their gazes locked and held for a long
moment. Mike knew there was no territorial claim he could make, not
when Joanna was so pleased with the night so far. He’d give her up
to guarantee her satisfaction, even though the loss would destroy
him. He knew that, and he hoped like hell that he wouldn’t have to
do it.

He knew the moment that Eric realized it,
too.

“Careful what you wish for,” his friend said
softly, then turned to go back down to the dungeon.

To Joanna.

Mike drained his beer and headed to the
shower.

* * *

Rex was in the men’s shower at the Plume,
trying to wash away his frustration along with the residue from the
gallery show. He’d brushed his teeth and scrubbed himself down,
annoyed to realize that being rid of the scent of Leya’s perfume
did exactly nothing to push her out of his thoughts.

The shower room was a large rectangle, all
tiled in white with black accents. Rex would have preferred the
bathrooms be tiled in honey with purple accents, but there had been
few tiles available in such colors—and they’d been expensive. Too
expensive. He had reluctantly conceded to the plain color scheme,
but it still annoyed him.

It was less than perfect, and Rex resented
compromise of all kinds.

Which explained why he was so angry. He
couldn’t allow Athena to compromise their standards. He couldn’t
continue without trusting her completely. As much as he didn’t want
to leave the Plume, she’d changed everything by putting his welfare
at risk.

If he forgave her, she’d do it again, with
another member, and maybe it wouldn’t end so well. Rex didn’t even
want to think about that.

Although it would kill him to walk away from
this place. He’d put so much into it. He was so proud of it. He
wasn’t sure he had the energy to start again.

Rex was standing under the hot water with his
eyes closed when he became aware that he was no longer alone. He
sensed the presence of another person more than he heard it.
Assuming it was another one of the male members of the club, he
tipped his head back and rinsed his face, then reached to turn off
the water. He sighed, despite himself, not quite ready to abandon
the soothing pleasures of the shower.

“Don’t leave on my account,” Leya said.

Rex’s eyes flew open and he turned to find
her on the other side of the shower room. She was still dressed,
but her feet were bare, her sandals abandoned on the threshold of
the locker room.

“But this is the men’s shower,” Rex protested
and she laughed.

It was the first time he’d heard her
laugh.

“Rules,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
“You are one for rules, aren’t you?”

Rex bristled. “They protect everyone. They
make sense.”

“Of course, they do, and many rules should
never be broken.”

“Like code reds?”

“Exactly. I agree with you completely on
that.” She gestured to the shower. “But keeping men and women
separate when they wash, because of social conventions, isn’t a
rule I’d die defending.”

Rex released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d
been holding.

“I didn’t like knowing so little about you,”
Leya continued. “I was trying to accommodate the Plume’s way of
doing things, but I didn’t like it. I’m glad to learn that these
rules are the way I think they should be.” She cast him a playful
look. “I think we’re similar in our need for control and for
information.”