Club Alpha Cove

His FBI Sub
Book 1
 

Linzi Basset
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2014 Linzi Basset

 
 
 Club Alpha Cove 1: His FBI Sub.
 Copyright © 2014 Linzi Basset
ISBN-13: 978-1508525813
ISBN-10: 1508525811
Re-edited by: Julia Curry
Published by Linzi Basset
 
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the
writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, business establishments, or
organizations is entirely coincidental.
 
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this Book only. No part of this
Book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without prior written
permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and
reviews.
 
Warning: This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered
offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults only, as defined by the laws of the country
in which you made your purchase.
 
Disclaimer: Please do not try any new sexual practice, without the guidance of an experienced
practitioner. Neither the publisher nor the author will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury, or
death resulting from use of the information contained in this book.
 
BOOKS WRITTEN AS LINZI BASSET
 
The Flame Dragon King (The Metallic Dragons #1)
 
Club Alpha Cove Series
His FBI Sub – Book 1
His Ice Baby Sub – Book 2
His Vanilla Sub – Book 3
His Fiery Sub – Book 4
His Sassy Sub – Book 5
Their Bold Sub – Book 6
His Brazen Sub – Book 7
His Defiant Sub – Book 8
His Forever Sub – Book 9
His Cherished Sub – Book 10
For Amy – Their Beloved Sub – Book 11
 
Caught Series
Caught in Between
Caught in His Web
 
The Tycoon Series
The Tycoon and His Honey Pot
The Tycoon’s Blondie
 
The Wildcat That Tamed the Tycoon
Now is Our Time
 

Co-Written as Isabel James

The White Pearl Series
Double Shot Espresso – Boos 1
The Crow’s Nest – Book 2
 

Contents
Warning: Read This – Bdsm
Author’s Note
Preface - Club Alpha Cove Series
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Excerpt - His Ice Baby Sub
About The Author
 

 
 WARNING: READ THIS – BDSM

This series is dark erotica and contains scenes including, but not limited to
explicit graphic sex, voyeurism, exhibitionism, humiliation, ropes, cuffs,
spanking, whipping, flogging, anal sex, ménage, strong language, bondage,
extreme punishments and S&M. Furthermore, expect controversial subjects
such as unplanned pregnancy and BDSM activities.
Liberties have been taken with places and notions that may resemble those
of real life, such as insta-love and geographic locations.
Please, only proceed if you are comfortable with dark erotica that involves
extreme punishments!
 Author’s Note

Dear Reader,
Dipping my toes in the highly emotional and incredibly erotic world of
BDSM has been a revelation. One, which I have thoroughly enjoyed writing
and learning about. This is my first effort in this genre and I hope you will
be able to relax and enjoy it for what it is, fiction and fun for pure
entertainment.
While I don’t typically respond to reviews, seeing as it is such a
controversial subject, I would like to mention that punishments in these
books, well, they aren't meant to be pleasurable and are, as their name
indicates, punishing.
These stories develop over a very short time span. In real life, care should
always be taken with your emotions, Lifestyle and sex. Remember: always
safe, sane, and consensual.
Thank you for visiting Club Alpha Cove, my first erotic fiction series.
This is the birth of Club Alpha Cove.  The original version has been
reviewed and certain portions of the story have been rewritten to increase
your enjoyment of the story of the owner, Ruark Greer and his beautiful,
bad-assed FBI sub, Courtney Sears.
This version has been re-edited from cover to cover.
Wishing you all well and trust you will enjoy this story.
 
Linzi
 PREFACE - Club Alpha Cove Series

Welcome to the elite BDSM escape, Club Alpha Cove.

Club Alpha Cove is a BDSM club located on David's Island. David’s Island
is a 78-acre island off the coast of New Rochelle, New York, in Long Island
Sound. Ruark Greer is the owner of the island, who has chosen to build his
home and a club on its land.
Along with his childhood friends, he created an exclusive BDSM club.
There is an inherent storyline of a powerful Syndicate that wanted the island
as their base, complicating the lives of these friends. Ruthless, the primary
leader of the Syndicate targeted their loved ones – the subs whom they have
claimed as lifemates – only to find that these Masters would protect their
own, mercilessly if need be.
As this is a running theme throughout the series, and to enjoy the full
experience, the books should be read in sequence. However, each can be
read as standalone.
In the midst of this mysterious story, we come to know each of the Senior
Masters . . . big, dominant, macho men that you will either love or hate, and
their kink as they find the ones they love. They love hard and they punish
hard.
For your reading enjoyment, let us agree that the trust between these
couples is 100% unconditional and true and all the acts are consensual.
Also, these subs have given their Doms total control by putting forth limit
lists with the understanding that once agreeing to and living in a full-on
relationship this is subject to change.
None of my fiction should be seen as a guide to or actual portrayal of
BDSM or the Lifestyle. The rules and the kink used by the Senior Masters
and owners at Club Alpha Cove are created by my imagination for this
series.
 Chapter One

Warning: This series contains dark erotica that involves extreme

punishments. Please do not purchase this book if you’re uncomfortable
with such subjects!
 
“He took me to a BDSM club last night. I did not sign up for this shit,
Agent Forrester! A BDSM Club for fuck’s sake!”
Sloan laughed and his naturally arched eyebrows rose meaningfully in
the direction of his partner, Hagan Cullum.
“So, what did he do to you? Is he a Dom?”
“Apparently, he is. He fucking spanked me! Can you believe that?”
“Hmm, is that all? Nothing more . . . exciting happened?”
The red flush appearing on her cheeks was telling and their raspy
chuckles filled the air. She scowled at them, completely exasperated.
“Somehow, I get the feeling that it was not all bad, Agent Sears.
You’ve been in a relationship with him for three months, surely you’ve
become intimate already?”
“No, I most definitely have not!”
Sloan looked at her in surprise. Courtney Sears was a beautiful
woman. Small, compact, sexy and tempting as hell. Add to that a razor-
sharp brain and incredible intelligence and you were given a woman who
was both breathtaking and challenging. She packed a mean punch on any
man’s libido when she walked into a room. Tough as nails, she was one of
the best agents he had ever come across. He could only imagine what was
hidden beneath her usual work clothes of baggy cargo pants and a loose
shirt.
“How have you managed that?”
“I’ve played the beguiling little kitten who wanted to get to know her
man better.”
“And it worked?” Hagan asked in disbelief, his eyes brushing over
her beautiful face and sensual body. That man was either stupid or made of
stone.
“Don’t look at me like I’m some kind of an alien! Of course, it
worked.”
 “Somehow I find it difficult to picture you as a . . . beguiling little
kitten.”
She glared from one man to the other, incinerating them with the fire
flashing in her eyes. Sure, of course these guys would find this situation
funny. Both were huge, muscled and gorgeous. If they were not her bosses,
she might have been interested in them, but she had a strict rule to never
mix business with pleasure. She studied their confident demeanor, the way
they held themselves, the speculative looks in their eyes and she clenched
her jaw.
I’ll be damned. They are Doms! I would bet my annual salary on it!
Those forceful looks and the confidence, Courtney had seen it before
- from the Doms in the BDSM club the previous night. It was the epitome
of what Sloan and Hagan exuded. A small shiver tingled down her spine.
“How far am I expected to go with this farce?”
Sloan glanced at Hagan, then back to her. He sat, with his elbows
propped on his knees, leaning forward slightly.
“You know how important this bust is, Agent Sears but as we told you
from the start, the ball is in your court. We’re not going to make demands
on you that make you are uncomfortable. If it gets too much and you want
out, just give us the word, and you’re out.”
Hagan also leaned forward, his eyes narrowed.
“What are you worried about? The BDSM scene?”
Courtney got up from the chair and went to stand in front of the
window, gazing thoughtfully outside. Her sister was in the BDSM scene,
even engaged to a well-respected Dom. Having her first taste of it, the
previous night, excited her more than she cared to admit.
“Not the scene so much,” she turned to face them again. “But, there
should be absolute trust between the Dom and sub, right?”
They both nodded affirmatively and she spread her hands with raised
eyebrows.
“Need I say more? He told me it was time to take our relationship to
the next level and he thinks we should join a club . . . more specifically,
Club Alpha Cove.”
“Alpha Cove? You’re shitting me!”
“Nope. Now, I don’t see myself willingly helpless in that bastard’s
hands, not even for this bust.”
Sloan nodded.
 “Besides . . . the first time he does something seriously painful, I will
kick his ass all the way to the kingdom come. Everyone will see I am no
submissive and my cover will be blown.”
“No? You don’t believe you have an ounce of submissiveness in
you?”
Courtney snorted and waved the question away as if it were a
bothersome fly. Sloan had a small smile around his mouth. His voice
lowered and became forceful. “Sit down, Courtney.”
She flopped down in her chair so quickly she was still forming the
words to brush him off. She considered him with amazed surprise in her
eyes.
“What the fuck . . . !”
“You, my dear, are a natural sub.” Sloan and Hagan chuckled at her
aggravated expression.
“Like hell I am.” She mumbled, rose regally from the chair and glared
at the two laughing men.
“Do you see Devlon Sanders as a Dom, Courtney?”
She silently compared him to these two and to her sister’s fiancé, then
shook her head. “I guess he has the makings of one and he most definitely
wants to be one. I get the impression he has played at clubs and at home,
but never fully transformed into a legitimate Dominant.”
Sloan glanced back at Hagan. He nodded and Courtney shook her
head. She was always amazed by their ability to know what the other one
thought.
“There is a way to keep him out of your pants a bit longer, without
you compromising your sense of . . . submissiveness.”
Courtney glowered at Hagan from the obvious dig at her. “How?”
“We are standing members at Club Alpha Cove. In fact, we are Senior
Masters.”
“I knew it!” Courtney fisted the air victoriously, then cleared her
throat and sobered, “Whatever that may mean.”
They chuckled. “The club offers newbies to the BDSM scene a set of
training programs to ease them into it safely. If you pass the evaluation, that
is. You could demand that the two of you join the full three-month
program,” Hagan continued to explain.
“What does that entail?”
 “Basically they are sessions to become the perfect sub or Dom, dos
and donts, techniques on how to use equipment . . . that sort of thing.”
“Who offers this training?”
“There is a training Master, Quinlan Shaw. All of the Senior Masters
assist with the training as well.”
“And how much does it cost?”
“Initially, only the startup fee. You have to complete the three months
training and then pay the annual membership fee.”
He named an astronomical amount that made her eyes nearly pop out
of her head. That was nearly every penny in her savings account!
“I guess sex pays well, huh? I also guess the Agency isn’t going to
cover those fees?”
“You are deep under cover, Courtney. You already know the answer.”
“So, if the bust is successful, then I’ll get a refund from the agency?”
“I can’t promise anything, but we could try.”
“And from the club?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ll only be joining to get deeper into the syndicate, not for my
own fucking pleasure! Once the bust is done, I won’t be back there.”
“Hmm . . . that’s something we’ll have to discuss with Ruark when
the time comes. We can’t inform anyone of your identity at this stage. The
one good thing about this, Agent Sears, is that we’ll be there every time, so
you will be safe.”
She stiffened as a thought crossed her mind.
“You said you are Senior Masters.” They nodded. “Does that mean
you will . . . take part in my . . .  training?”
Both faces broke out in wide smiles, the prospect was clearly
something they found entertaining, making Courtney glower.
“No. Fucking. Way.”
“Yes, fucking way. And the first thing we will teach you, little sub, is
to stop cursing.”
Courtney’s cell phone rang and she dug it out of her pants pocket. The
name appearing on the screen elicited a groan.
“It’s him.”
She flicked her finger over the screen activating the call. “Lover boy .
. . I miss you, Babe.”
 Sloan and Hagan’s jaws dropped to the floor when her voice turned
husky and sensual, causing their blood to head south and their cocks to
harden instantaneously. They rocked uncomfortably in their chairs. Neither
had felt a physical reaction toward her. Not once in the many years she had
worked for them.
“Fuck me!”
“Ditto!”
Courtney singed them with a fiery stare, but continued her husky,
flirty conversation with the man on the phone. She let out a heavy sigh
when she ended the call.
“He got us an invitation to attend the Pirate’s Ball this Friday at the
Alpha Club. Where is this place?”
“Club Alpha Cove is on David’s Island.”
“Ruark Greer? Oh fuck! I am so screwed!   I never made the
connection! Oh hell!”
“Now what?”
“My sister is engaged to Jason Barrett.”
“Lindsey? That Lindsey is your sister? Engaged to Ruark’s cousin?
Well, well, well.”
“What does that mean?”
“I would have never guessed. You two are like night and day.”
“Yeah . . . no shit, Sherlock.”
“I’m going to enjoy training you, little sub. I can just imagine you on
that spanking bench, begging me while I punish you for every curse you
utter.”
“You’re missing the damn point! Lindsey and Jason will be there on
Friday night and other nights! They are not supposed to know who I am!”
Sloan nodded. “Of course. I’ll have a chat with Jason.” He shook his
head and mumbled, “I can’t believe we did not realize Lindsey was your
sister.”
“You know why I protected her identity, Sloan, and she needs to
know. While I’m there, no contact with me, whatsoever. Not even eye
contact, unless we are introduced to each other.”
“I’ll lay down the rules, Courtney, relax. We realize this will be
difficult for you, but we are so close now. He trusts you completely.”
Yes, he does. But at what cost to me if it continues longer than
another week or two?
 The longer they spent at that damn BDSM club, the deeper she would
be forced to fall. She shuddered at just the thought of allowing that douche
bag intimate access to her body.
Devlon Sanders was a commanding and attractive man - tall and lean,
with strong, corded muscles. He had the look of a suntanned surfer with his
dark blond hair and broad white smile. He was two years younger than she
was, but he hadn’t realized that. His hands were more than capable of
arousing a woman all right, but Courtney could not get past who he really
was. The firm strokes of his hand made shivers run down her body when he
touched her. They were not signs of arousal as he imagined, but rather
disgust at being forced to allow it.
She hated it when he started to caress and kiss her. There was no way
she would be able to spread her legs for him. No fucking way!
She shuddered when she allowed her mind to drift back to the scene
at the club they went to, two nights ago. He had kept it playful, so she had
no recourse but to drape herself over that damn spanking bench lest he
mistook her panic for eagerness. She had not expected him to tie her down,
so before she knew it, her hands and ankles were immobilized. She
struggled to withhold the scream of rage that tickled her throat.
Having worn a short miniskirt, she gritted her teeth as he easily ran
his hands over the roundness of her ass and in between her thighs.
“Now, now, Babe . . .   don’t spoil everything. You know that is off
limits right now,” her voice was raspy, not from the need that he imagined,
but from the anger of feeling his hands between her legs.
“Hmm . . .  so much heat coming from down there, my darling. Soon!
For now, . . . let’s have some fun.”
“I-I am scared, Babe! I don’t like to be tied down! W-w-what are you
g-g-going to do.” She stammered with a tiny, helpless and scared voice.
She could actually feel his chest swell as he chuckled. Bastard!
“No need to be scared, darling. Just a little spanking with a paddle. I
promise, I will only warm your ass. I won’t even lift your skirt.”
Thank the Lord for small favors!
He kept to his word and paddled her ass ten times with only a soft to
medium impact. Courtney felt the sensation of each slap rush directly to her
clit, which had started to pulse with need by the fourth hit. She clenched her
jaw and grit her teeth. Lord, have mercy! She needed to come!
Damn him for knowing it too!
 As soon as the tenth strike was complete, he stepped closer and
stroked her ass. She had been trying to catch her breath and desperately
clamped her thigh muscles tight, her pulsing clit begging for release.
Courtney had gasped when his fingers moved beneath her panty line.
Ignoring her angry huff, he stroked her wet lips with a chuckle and pressed
his fingers inside her. She jerked.
“No. Untie me!”
“Ah, no, darling. It would be remiss of me not to give you what you
need at this point.”
And he did. He rubbed her clit expertly and she exploded, her cry at
the unwanted climax spurring him on to keep rubbing her, prolonging her
pleasure.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!
Courtney had been placed undercover as a model for the Da Vinci
Fashion House in an effort to infiltrate a drug smuggling ring. Devlon
Sanders, one of the key players in the Syndicate, noticed her almost
immediately and he began dating her. He was a high flyer who ran
Nationwide Logistic Company, which dealt exclusively with the De Vinci
house. His business was used as part of the drug distribution for the
Syndicate.
Courtney accepted the undercover assignment with the full realization
that it could lead to intimacy that she did not want. At the same time, she
knew it might be necessary to ensure that his trust in her continued to grow.
To this point, she had managed to keep contact limited to above the waist,
claiming she needed time to get to know him first. She played the beguiling,
sensual, innocent part well. He accepted it as such and told her that
someone so precious was worth waiting for.
They had been dating for three months and he became considerably
more relaxed around her, even taking calls from Syndicate members in her
presence. His responses were guarded and one-sided. Her FBI training,
however, allowed her to be able to read between the lines and she had been
key in a number of arrests.
The Syndicate was troubled by the number of busts and placed a great
deal of pressure on Devlon, urging him to solve their problem. In turn, he
became more demanding. When he took her to the private BDSM club in
Manhattan, she was secretly in Seventh Heaven. At long last, she got to go
inside one of those clubs. She had always found sex lacking and knew that
she needed something more. Courtney even tried to get her asshole of a
husband to give her more, but of course, he accused her of being a slut for
wanting kinky stuff like that! Little wonder their marriage did not survive
long after that.
Her sister, Lindsey, became involved with Jason Barrett, cousin of the
renowned businessman, Ruark Greer. People in the Lifestyle referred to him
as the King of the BDSM scene, because he was so respected as the
Chairman of the Global BDSM Forum. Through them, Courtney had
learned what the Lifestyle entailed and it intrigued her. It made her crave
that which had been missing in her life. Freedom to express and act to your
deepest desires and needs. Some of the things she had seen when they
walked through the club that night made her cringe. Other activities made
her so wet that she had to clench her thighs together to keep her juices from
running down her legs.
Devlon had taken advantage of her reaction and that was how he had
managed to get her draped over the spanking bench.
At the same time, she had always declined previous invitations from
Lindsey to join them at the club. She was an FBI agent. Sex clubs were off
limits If only she had known! Her own bosses were members at what was
apparently the most exclusive BDSM club in the US.
Sloan glanced at Hagan as soon as Courtney left their office and
asked with a frown, “Do you think we should warn Ruark?”
“No. The fewer people who know, the better - both for him and for
everyone at the club. You know what he’s like. The moment he sees
Courtney and realizes the danger she could be in, he would turn into all
macho male protection mode and everything would be lost.”
“Do you think Sanders chose Club Alpha Cove for a reason?”
“I thought about that, yeah. He must have a contact to have wrangled
an invite to the Pirate’s Ball.”
“Could be they chose the club to become a meeting place. Away from
all eyes. Private island. Utmost secrecy.”
“Fuck! You’re right. I didn’t think that far. We might be closer than
we think, Sloan. Much closer!”
“Our little Courtney sure did well. How about that damn sexy voice
of hers? Bowled me over!”
“No joke. I still have a hard-on!” Hagan looked at Sloan
speculatively. “Are we really going to partake in her training?”
 “Hell yeah! I can’t wait to spank that ass of hers!”
“Are you looking to make her our sub?”
Sloan frowned and then chuckled, after a while.
“No, but I know someone who would be perfect for her.”
Hagan looked at Sloan and saw the glitter in his eyes. Realization hit
instantaneously.
“Hell, yes! Perfect, Bud! Perfect!” Then he frowned and said,
pensively, “You do know he is a bit of a sadist?”
“Yeah, but I don’t believe our little Courtney is just a reluctant
submissive, but likely a bit of a masochist as well.”
“You could be right. She is one hell of a tough cookie.”
Sloan picked up his cell phone and dialed Jason’s number. After the
usual back and forth ribbing, Sloan became serious.
“Jason, we have a problem. You know Lindsey’s sister is with us?”
“Yeah?”  The question clear in his voice.
“She is currently deep under cover and we need your help.”
“Shoot.”
“She has infiltrated a drug ring and is dating one of the key players as
part of her cover. He wants them to join Club Alpha Cove.”
“Oh fuck!” Jason was not happy and it was clear in his explosive
response.
“They will be at the Pirate’s Ball on Friday and we have talked her
into getting the man to join the training program.”
“Are you crazy? We’ve tried to get her to go with us hundreds of
times! She’s always balked. BDSM is not her scene, Sloan.”
“Come on now, Bud. Think carefully. I did a little test. That firebrand
of a future sister-in-law of yours is a natural sub.”
Jason was quiet for a bit and then sighed, acknowledging what he too
had already realized.
“What do you need me to do?”
“First, do not tell Ruark. You know what he’s like and he would insist
on protecting her at the club. The fewer people that know, the better. We
wouldn’t even have told you, if it hadn’t been for Lindsey.”
“You do realize you’ll be at the mercy of his wrath when he does find
out, right?”
“Acknowledged, but we’ll deal with it then. You need to talk to
Lindsey. She has to realize how critical it is that she does not acknowledge
Courtney. She must act as if she has never seen her before and does not
know her from a bar of soap. Courtney will have our heads if something
happens to her little sister.”
“And how, exactly, am I supposed to get her to agree to that? Those
two are very close.”
“It’s either that or keep her away from the club until we bust the
Syndicate.”
“Hell! In how much danger is Courtney, Sloan?”
“It is a drug ring, Jason. If her cover is blown, she is a dead woman.”
 
 Chapter Two

Courtney arrived at Club Alpha Cove, dressed as a female pirate in

skintight black leather pants, a purple and black corset and knee high
stiletto boots. The damn thing was so tight she could barely breathe and her
boobs practically spilled over the top. It was a gift from her beloved
boyfriend for the occasion. She was sure if she inhaled too deeply, her
nipples would pop out of the cups.
They arrived in Devlon’s speedboat and were taken, by shuttle, to the
main building in the center of the island. David’s Island was a 78-acre
island off the coast of New Rochelle, New York, in Long Island Sound.
Ruark Greer bought the island twelve years ago and built both the club and
his home there.
Courtney sighed in relief when she saw how some of the other
women were dressed. Clearly, she was over dressed, but there was no
bloody way she would prance around in just a thong and a corset!
Devlon signed in, paid their entrance fee and clasped his hand
possessively around her hip. Her breath caught when they walked through
the door into another world. The massive size of the space was
overwhelming. It was full of steel, chrome and glass, which made the club
look very modern and chic. In the center of the room was an eye-catching,
elevate bar that had a glass floor and chrome rails. Blue light illuminated
the floor and bar area. Her eyes were glued to the stainless-steel rings that
were fitted at regular intervals all around the bar.
Wide, chrome staircases led from each end of the bar to a cocktail
level below, where the lighting was more subdued and sexy. There were
several lounging areas with large, comfortable looking grey and white
leather couches and chairs. Some were secluded behind potted plants, with
dim lighting, others were open and easily accessible to all.
Along the sides of the room were three raised stages, in addition to
the one in the center. Dancers performed on each of them, their movements
sensual and inviting. Similar to the bar, the dance floor appeared to be made
of glass with blue light illuminating the surface. It looked surreal.
In the far corner, there was a cozy restaurant setting. It, too, had
comfy grey and white chairs, with silver tables. The final corner was home
to a small casino setup, with roulette and blackjack tables. There were even
a few slot machines.
A second-floor mezzanine, surrounding the three-story entertainment
atrium, had a wide hallway flanked by the same chrome and steel
balustrade. One side was home to a number of doors, with no windows, as
well as some deep, plush couches and chairs scattered about. On the
opposite side, were private offices, a main office with floor to ceiling
windows, and a lounge facing the main entertainment area.
Even on those stainless-steel balustrades, she noticed the round rings.
Her breath caught when she recognized Lindsey and Jason standing in the
main office above, looking out of the window, to the area below. A dark-
haired hulk of a man joined them and she forgot to breathe.
Holy shit! Men like that did not exist! He truly took her breath away,
even across the distance separating them.
“Come darling, let’s get a drink and then we can explore a bit.”
Devlon pulled her toward the bar, drawing her attention from the
gorgeous man standing with her sister. Courtney sighed at his excitement,
which escalated after she tentatively mentioned that they should join the
training program. He immediately grasped onto the idea, clearly seeing that
as a sign that she was ready to take their relationship one step further.
Courtney forced her eyes to remain on the gyrating dancers and not
return to the tempting man upstairs. When she glanced his way again, the
room was covered in darkness and she sighed heavily. She accepted the
cocktail from Devlon and leaned into him as he guided her around the
entertainment room. They made their way to the lower level, which housed
the ‘play’ area and the dungeon.
Some couples were already in a scene. A phrase that apparently
referred a couple deciding on what activity to partake in and what each of
them wanted to achieve from the experience. Quite a number of them were
using the spanking benches, with their moans and cries filling the room.
The smell of leather, sweat and sex permeated the air. Devlon walked past
each of the scenes and came to a halt near the back, where a man was
whipping a woman with a bullwhip. The man clearly had excellent control
over the whip and the motion was hypnotic. Courtney tightened her hands
into fists. The woman was tied to what she thought was a Saint Andrew’s
cross, wearing only a thong.
 She cried out each time the whip connected with her skin, but her face
was not drawn in pain. She seemed . . .  excited . . .  aroused, even serene.
Courtney drew a deep breath, feeling her clit starting to pulse, just
imagining what it would feel like to be tied on that cross with that Dom
whipping her.
Devlon’s eyes glittered and excitement seemed to build with each
crack of the whip as it struck the woman’s back. A back and bare ass that
were already bright red. She worried her lip at the look on Devlon’s face.
Clearly, this was something he was in to.
No. Fucking. Way!
He would not come near her with a whip! She would shoot his damn
ass before she allowed that.

“Ruark! What a nice surprise. I thought you were out of town.” Sloan
clasped his best friend’s hand and slapped him on the shoulder.
“I was. Hagan, I trust you are still keeping this hooligan under
control.”
Hagan shook his hand and grinned. His eyes widened as he caught a
movement over Ruark’s shoulder and his breath wheezed out of his body.
“Holy fuck!”
“What?”   Both Sloan and Ruark turned to see what had caught
Hagan’s attention. Sloan’s face went ghost white.
“Shit. Who would have thought she cleaned up so well,” Sloan
mumbled in an aside to Hagan.
Ruark’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the beautiful female pirate on the
arm of Devlon Sanders.
“Who is she?” His voice turned rough as he forced the question past
his lips. Suddenly he found it difficult to draw a deep breath into his lungs.
His cock started a slow, insistent throb.
“Some model I think, but shit, she is hot. Look at those boobs,
Sloan.” Hagan was salivating.
“Too bad her taste in men sucks.”
Sloan watched Ruark and grinned at the dark look in his eyes as they
slowly traveled up and down Courtney’s body.
“You know him?”
 “Devlon Sanders. Daddy’s rich boy, running a National Logistics
Company. Biggest bastard I have ever come across. How the hell did he get
in here? I’ve shot down every application he has made to become a
member.”
“That’s interesting. Maybe he is here as a guest and whoever applied
either lied or omitted his name?”
Just then, a slightly older man with salt and pepper hair, clasping a
leash attached to a collared blonde woman, joined the couple.
“Devlon, my boy. Glad to see you could make it. Who is this lovely
young lady?”
His ice blue eyes moved over Courtney and she shivered silently as
he drooled over her breasts. The tall sub on the leash glared at her, while
Courtney did her best to ignore the woman.
“William, thank you for inviting me. I have been trying to get in here
forever. Maybe with your recommendation, I might stand a chance. This is
my girl, Courtney Abner. Isn’t she a beauty?”
“Courtney Abner? Now where have I heard that name before? Come
on girl, speak up.”
Sloan and Hagan could not hide their smiles when they saw the spark
of annoyance flash in her eyes. They groaned when she applied her husky,
sensual voice.
“I am a model, Sir. For the Da Vinci Fashion House.”
Ruark felt as if he had been punched in the gut and all of his blood
flooded one way - south. Now there was no stopping his wayward cock.
The little space still left in his black leather pants, after his eyes locked onto
her, became nonexistent as his cock surged to full arousal just hearing that
damn voice.
“Ah, that’s right. You modeled lingerie last week. Man, was that a
show to remember!”
William Hallow was a wealthy banker with many high-profile friends
and business associates. He had been a member of Club Alpha Cove since
its inception twelve years ago. His eyes were glued to Courtney’s breasts
and she took shallow breaths, lest she gave him an even better view.
“Would you care to share, by any chance, Devlon?”
Ruark noticed the immediate stiffening of her back and a flash of heat
in her eyes. Devlon chuckled and clutched her around the waist to draw her
even closer. Her small hand lifted to his chest. The long purple tipped nails
made Ruark imagine them digging into his back when he made her come.
Over and over. Fuck!
“Sorry, William. Not sharing . . .  yet.”
Try fucking never, you asshole!
Courtney was livid and it was all she could do to remain calm and
appear . . .   submissive. She had never felt so damned exposed in all her
life. It felt as if every man she passed was eyeballing her boobs.
A loud gasp behind them drew the agents’ attention and they turned
to find a star struck Lindsey and growling Jason. Lindsey could not take her
eyes off the woman with the purple and black corset. Jason gripped her ass
and pinched her hard. She jumped, but continued to stare at Courtney.
“I-is that . . . ?”
“Yeah, we were just as floored. Courtney Abner, model for Da Vinci
House. Do you know her?” Sloan said with a lewd grin, but flashed warning
looks at Jason.
“Er . . . no, but I’ve seen some of her shows on Fashion TV. Wow . . .
Jase! Isn’t she . . . ouch!”
“Lindsey.”
His voice deepened and she immediately lowered her gaze, her hand
clasped in his.
“My apologies, my Master.”
“Good . . .  maybe it is time for us to see if there is a spanking bench
open somewhere.”
“As you wish, Sir.”
Before he could drag her away, William noticed Ruark and the four of
them joined the larger group. Courtney clenched her teeth, keeping her eyes
lowered like a good little submissive. She had heard her sister’s voice and
could just imagine what she must think about her outfit. About her even
being at the club, for that matter.
“Ruark, thanks for the pirate theme. It is always one of the more
enjoyable events here. Let me introduce you. This is Devlon Sanders, one
of my clients and Courtney Abner. Devlon, this is the owner of Club Alpha
Cove, Ruark Greer.”
Courtney winced at Devlon gushing over him, clearly keen on making
a good impression. Ruark, on the other hand, only nodded and gestured to
the others next to him.
“This is Sloan, Hagan, my cousin Jason and his fiancée, Lindsey.”
 Devlon shook the hands of the men. Courtney glanced at Lindsey
through her eyelashes. When she caught the look, Lindsey smiled broadly.
“I can’t believe it! You are the best model I have ever seen on the
runway. I watched the lingerie show last night . . . gosh! That flesh colored
set you modeled! Your skin glowed! It was amazing! Can I . . . please touch
you?”
“Lindsey!”
“But Sir . . . !”
Ruark saw the slight tilt on Courtney’s lips, purely because he was
looking at her, and he frowned. Annoyed that she deliberately avoided
looking at him.
“Body glitter.”
That damn husky sensual voice. His cock hardened even more and he
cursed.
“What? Oh of course. Like what you have on now?”
Lindsey walked closer and brushed her fingers down Courtney’s
chest. Her lips tightened and she glared at her sister, who gave her a sweet
innocent smile. Sloan and Hagan scowled at Jason, and he immediately
yanked her back.
“Behave sub.”
“Yes Sir.”
Ruark’s cock twitched as he followed Lindsey’s finger down
Courtney’s chest.
Fuck, that woman was hot.
“Devlon tells me he has been battling to have his membership
accepted here, Ruark. I can vouch for him. He has been a customer of mine
for ten years. In fact, he is so serious about the Lifestyle that they want to
join your training program.”
Ruark sucked in a deep breath, his eyes on the luscious woman next
to the irritating asshole, who had his hand snug on her rounded hip.
“Both of you?”
Courtney knew the question was directed at her and realized she
could not avoid looking at him any longer. The man unnerved her. His
presence alone unnerved her. He was too . . . commanding. No damn man
had the right to be that gorgeous, so . . . so beautiful. Norse-god beautiful. A
deeply tanned Norse-god, with perfect muscles and brute strength. He had
pure, silver eyes surrounded by thick, long, black eyelashes. The nearly
black hair on his head was brushed back and carelessly reached his shirt
collar in the back. His face was chiseled, his features rough and rugged.
Beautifully masculine.
He was looking into her, not at her.
With those silver eyes.
Courtney’s mind went blank.
Just as she did before busting through a door at a drug bust.
Adrenaline pumped fervidly through her veins. She felt a delicious shiver
race down her spine. For a moment, she wondered whether it was
excitement or fear that made her heart pound like an automatic rifle.
He was tall, probably six two or three, and carried himself with his
head held high and his shoulders back. He demanded attention, a bulk of
confidence. A potent Dom to be aware of.
“Of course. Actually, Courtney was the one that suggested it,” Devlon
confirmed affably.
This meant she did not have confidence in her man. Ruark could work
with that. For the first time, he allowed a small smile to form around his
wide lips and Courtney’s breath caught in her throat. He looked like a
predator ready to pounce on his prey . . . and she was definitely the prey.
Day-amn!
His eyes traveled with amorous intent up and down her body, eliciting
a tingle in her nipples, which pebbled into hard nubs. So tightly, they hurt.
Of course, those two stupid buttons had to involve her clit as well. It began
to pulse the moment his eyes caught hers.
Behave ladies! But her breasts had other ideas, especially when those
intense silver eyes strayed to her lips and stayed there.
“It is always a good idea to do it right. Well then, Sanders, follow me
and we’ll get this taken care of immediately.”
Courtney glanced at Sloan and Hagan, both of whom widened their
eyes innocently. Bastards! One way or another, she would get them back for
this.
She dragged her feet, following the two men up the stairs, her eyes on
the tight ass of the god-like creature in front of her. Damn, she could see the
corded muscles rippling down his flanks to his strong legs and she drooled.
She salivated, imagining what this man would look like naked.
Flexing those muscles.
Between her legs.
 His tight black leather pants were molded to every muscle and the
loose white shirt was unbuttoned to just below his chest. Her hands itched
to touch that wide expanse of chest and to run her fingers over his
sculptured pecs and abs. She swallowed audibly when he opened the door
to his office, flipped on the lights and waved them inside.
“Please have a seat. I need you to complete the application forms for
the training program and sign the consent and confidentiality agreements.
You are both required to have medicals and criminal checks done. It is a
club requirement that must be repeated every quarter.”
He handed them each a set of documents and picked up his phone.
“Quin? Please come to my office. I need you to conduct an interview.
Yeah, now.”
He watched Courtney as she completed the application form. Her
handwriting was sure and swift and her signature at the end was a strong
swirl and a line, with a distinctive dot at the end.
Hmm, assertive little sub. She is going to be a challenge. One that he
intended to personally take under his wing. He smiled as Devlon scowled at
her for reading the consent form, terms and conditions word for word.
“Darling, it is pretty straight forward. Just sign already.”
“Of course, lover boy.”
Fuck. He needed to leave. Now. Where the hell was Quinlan?
The door swung open after a brief knock and in walked another damn
Norse-god. A brown-haired Norse-god with a sexy dimple in his chin.
Where the hell have all these hunks been hiding all my life?
“Quinlan, meet Devlon Sanders and Courtney Abner. They are both
applying for the training program.”
“Which one?”
“Oh, the full package. My girl is adamant that we do this right. Safe,
sane and consensual.”
“Clever girl.” Courtney’s eyes sparked fire at Ruark, and his lips
quirked. He noticed Quinlan devouring her with his eyes and he growled.
“Please take Sanders for his interview and ensure that all of the club
rules are understood. I will deal with Miss Abner.”
“Awh damn. I should have known. Come on Sanders, follow me.”
Devlon followed Quinlan and Courtney shifted uncomfortably in her
chair, watching them leave. Her heartbeat quickened as Ruark strolled
around the desk, took her hand and drew her up from the chair. He guided
her to the couch in front of the large windows and sitting down, tugged her
down to the seat beside him.
He took the application forms from her and scanned them quickly. His
eyebrows rose.
“Manhattan Solace. Very upmarket, Miss Abner.”
She shrugged. “Perks of the job.” Cringing inside, she realized she
had written her own address on the application form instead of the
undercover one.
“Do you enjoy modeling?”
She glanced at him and felt a blush crawl over her cheeks when his
eyes deliberately dropped to her straining breasts. The heat in his silver
gaze singed her when they lifted to her eyes.
“So?”                        
“Yes. I enjoy it.”
“What are you planning to do once your modeling career is over?”
She frowned at him. “I don’t wish to sound disrespectful, but what
does that have to do with my application?”
“Just trying to get you to relax. You seem a tad tense.”
Relax? Sitting thigh to thigh with him? Try a different technique,
buster.  Like kissing me silly and fucking me hard.
“That can be arranged too, little pet.”
Her eyes shot to his. The look in Ruark’s eyes showed that he knew
lascivious thoughts flashed through her mind. God day-amn! A blush
spread over her chest.
“I still have a good number of years ahead of me before I need to
worry about that.”
“Lindsey was right. You glow.”
He reached out and brushed a feather light touch just above the edge
of her corset. Courtney’s breath caught in her throat and, in the name of
self-preservation, she grabbed his hand. With blazing eyes, he growled in a
deep, dark voice.
“No.”
Her hand dropped away limply and she lowered her eyes.
What. The. Fuck!
He chuckled, but his rough fingertip slowly traced across one slope,
down her cleavage and up over the other. Her nipples were painfully
aroused. Her breathing shallow.
 “So. Are you a BDSM virgin?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you suddenly interested?”
Courtney snapped her mouth shut, her eyelids fell over her eyes and
she nearly swooned when his hand lowered to suggestively stroke her thigh.
She tried to move away from him. His hand tightened around her leg and he
snapped in his deep voice.
“Keep still, Courtney.”
Again, she instantaneously obeyed.
“Or are you doing this purely for the sake of Sanders?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, it matters. Being a submissive to a Dominant is a big deal.
Something that takes commitment, effort, honesty and trust.”
He leaned closer and her breath caught audibly. Ruark smiled and his
voice lowered.
“Do you trust Sanders, little pet?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Hmm . . .  I am not sure I believe you. Let me ask you this. Do you
believe that he would do what is best for you, care for you and instinctively
know what you really need, even though it might not be what you want?”
“Of course.”
“Do you trust him enough to accept his discipline and his
punishments?”
She frowned and once again tried to stop the hand that was now
delving between her legs.
“I said no, Courtney!”
His growl had a shiver travel down her spine, his voice rough and
deep.
“Put your hands behind your back and keep them there.”
“Look, I am not . . .”
“Now.”
Courtney bit her lip, annoyed with herself when she found her hands
clasped in the small of her back. The position forced her to sit up straighter
with her breasts straining invitingly against the corset.
“That is infinitely better. Now, keep them there and answer my
question.”
“I . . . what was the question?”
 “Because you don’t know me, I will let it slide this time. I hate
procrastination, little pet, and will advise you against eliciting punishment
in future with that habit. Do you trust him enough to accept his discipline
and his punishments?”
“W-what is the difference between the two?”
He chuckled, his fingers brushing against her already saturated pussy
and she jerked. She gripped her hands harder to prevent them from
clutching around his arm. Not to take his hand away, but to press it harder
against her aching heat.
“Punishment is just that and it does not necessarily always take the
form of corporal punishment. No pleasure is derived from being punished.
The sole purpose of punishment occurs when rules have been willfully
disregarded, to help the sub to remember how she erred, to accept the
responsibility of her actions and learn from it. Discipline is similar, only
more of a learning experience with the possibility of an award in the form
of pleasure.”
“I-I guess . . . yes. Please!”
“Please what, little sub?”
“Stop.”
He leaned closer and nuzzled her throat. “It is a Dom’s responsibility
to know what a sub needs, my pet. And you, little one, need to come.”
Courtney nearly swallowed her tongue. Then, an erratic tremor
coursed through her body as he sensually tantalized her pussy with hot
fingers, slowly brushing up and down over the swollen nub. His large hand
covered her pussy from back to front and he pressed his palm firmly on her
clit. The thin leather pants offered no protection against the sensual friction.
Her whole body shuddered in reaction and she bit her lip.
“This . . . you can’t . . . you have to . . .”
“Have to what, my pet?”
“Stop!”
He chuckled and leaned back, his hand folding possessively around
her thigh.
“Trust in a D/s relationship goes both ways. If your Dom can’t trust
you to be honest with him about your feelings and needs, he can’t service
you as he should. Yes, my pet. Submission is all about you. You have the
ultimate power in such a relationship. But if you are not honest from the
start, the relationship is doomed to fail before it even begins.”
 His eyes turned deep silver. “Such as yours with Sanders.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, my pet, I sense that you are not honest with Sanders. Be that
as it may, though, I will ensure that you realize the importance of truth and
trust before your three months are over.”
“You . . . but you’re not the Training Master.”
“No, but I have decided to take a personal interest in your training.”
“Why?”
“Because then I get to fuck you. As hard and as often as I want.”
Courtney forgot to breathe and was relieved to be sitting down,
knowing her legs would not have been able to hold her. She cleared her
throat. “How is that part of the training?” Her whole body suddenly became
a trembling blob of need.
“Learning to trust, to offer yourself to another. Ultimate control. You
don’t have to think. You only obey and feel, without thought or hesitation,
offering complete submission. Trusting me to know what it is that you need.
During your training, I will be your Dom. You will submit to me freely and
fully. Of course, I have some rules that are non-negotiable.”
Again, he brushed his fingers against her pussy causing the breath to
wheeze out of her mouth. He smiled and stroked her thigh with lazy fingers,
very aware of the effect his touch had on her body. He was already drunk on
the smell of her arousal, which had tantalized his nostrils from the moment
he sat down next to her.
“My first rule is that no man, other than me, touches you without my
permission. As far as Devlon Sanders goes . . .  no intimacy.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. No part of him enters your body. Not your
mouth, your ass or your pussy.”
“That is no . . .”
“Second rule, you do not climax unless I give you permission. Not
even privately while you masturbate. Third rule, you give me full
disclosure, total honesty, no lies. You will do as I say immediately, without
argument. When we play, you don’t speak unless I ask you a question.” His
voice deepened. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“You will address me as my Liege from this moment on. So,
Courtney, what are you agreeing to? I want the words.”
 “To be your submissive during the course of the training program.”
His eyebrow rose warningly and Courtney sighed with exaggerated
dramatization, rolling her eyes for effect.
“To be your submissive during the course of the training program, my
Liege.”
“Attitude such as that will have you over my lap, with my hand
spanking your ass, before you can blink. Tread carefully, sub.”
His hand, so big it nearly circled her leg, curled tighter around her
thigh.
“Let us go through your limits list.”
“Limits list?”
“Hard and soft limits. What you absolutely won’t do and what you are
not sure of.”
“So, it is for me to decide what I will and won’t allow?”
He nodded, then took a pen out of his shirt pocket and leaned back,
resting his ankle on his opposite knee. 
“Of course, as your Dom I will push those limits and boundaries to
give you what it is you really need.”
Courtney was not so sure she wanted to be left in his charge. This
man had the ability to make her forget her name. How would she remember
to say no to anything?
“I will call out an activity and you will tell me how you feel about it.”
Courtney shifted uncomfortably on the couch, her pussy wet and
clenching uncontrollably. The promise of a spanking fresh in her mind.
“Electrical play.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I guess that is a no. Anal?”
“I . . .”
“Play, plugs, sex?”
“No.”
He looked at her and the pen slapped against the paper. His eyes
piercing as he watched her.
“Are you an anal virgin, Courtney?”
“Yes.
Lust slammed and filled his cock again. This woman was going to be
the death of him.
 “So, you have no idea how it feels or if it is something you need. Why
a straight out no? Never thought of it? Even once?”
“I guess.”
“You guess?”
“I might have wondered . . . maybe.”
“Very well, we’ll leave that as a maybe. And I will work hard to
change your mind on that one.”
She nodded, refusing to allow her mind to wander into uncharted
waters. Waters she just knew would blow her mind.
He ignored the furious blush on her cheeks and continued down the
list. Some of them he did not even bother with, just marked it as no. Others,
he made a point of watching her reaction.
“Bondage? Arms, legs, full body.”
“As long as it is not too heavy.”
“Spanking. Soft, medium, hard.”
“I’m fine with it, but don’t know what my limit would be on the
intensity of it.”
“We’ll explore that as we go then. Blindfolds?”
“I guess I’d be fine with that, as long as it only covered my eyes.”
“Breast play. Whipping, flogging, clamps, weights, zipper?”
“What is a zipper?”
“It is a series of clothespins attached to your breasts and then pulled
off with a string that is run through them.”
Her eyes widened.
“Everything is fine, but that.”
“Caning. Soft, medium, including breast and pussy.”
“Yes, again I do not know my limits.”
“Collars, cuffs.”
“Collar and cuffs are fine, but I will not be put on a leash like a dog.”
“Sex toys.”
“Yes.”
“Flogging and whipping. Full body or specify ass, front, back, breasts
including pussy.”
“I . . . yes.”
Again, she managed to surprise him. He expected her to say no to
whipping. His blood thundered through his veins and his heartbeat
increased. She did not say ‘no’ to having her breasts or pussy canned,
flogged or whipped either. The sadist in him slowly stirred awake.
“Exhibitionism and humiliation?”
“You mean in public?”
“Yes.”
“As in only in the club or anywhere?”
“Anywhere.”
“No.”
“You’re a model. You’re on display all the time.”
“Not naked or strung up, I’m not.”
“How about just in the club?”
“I don’t know.” Courtney thought about being naked in front of this
man and it excited her. Being naked in front of others, not so much . . .
except if he watched, then . . . maybe. “I guess at the club is fine.”
“Very good, but because of your hesitation, it is a boundary I am
going to push - hard. It’s the best way to expunge those limits that prevent
you from being free to find pleasure and freedom the BDSM Lifestyle
offers. I need you to be free and focused.”
“Why?”
“Because I intend to make you mine. Oral sex, giving and receiving.”
“Yes.” Courtney barely knew she answered, her mind still spinning
with his declaration that he intended to make her ‘his’. Something that shot
a thrill of expectation down her spine.
“Sex.”
“Yes.”
The rest of the list went fast and Ruark was pleased with the results,
particularly that there were a few surprises. Pleasant surprises. He handed
her the list to check and sign. He relaxed back against the couch, watching
her.
“Tell me about yourself.”
Courtney startled. Shit. Full disclosure, honesty . . . she had always
seen herself as an honorable person. It did not feel right to lie to him, yet
she had no choice. She chewed on her bottom lip. He reached up and pulled
her lip from her teeth, then crowded her against the back of the couch.
“If anyone nibbles on those lips, sweetheart, it will be me.”  His head
lowered and his lips touched hers, soft as a butterfly, rubbing back and
forth. She gasped at the unexpected twinge of pain as he softly bit into her
lower lip. He drew back to look into her eyes and his narrowed. Her pupils
were dilated and her cheeks flushed.
“Hmm . . . interesting. I’m waiting, my pet.”
“I am a model, have been as long as I can remember. Started off in
college, got noticed at a local fashion show and well, I’ve never looked
back.”
“Hmm . . . you are not telling me much about yourself there, my pet.”
His eyes bore into hers and she stiffened. It felt as if he was looking right
into her soul. His hand tightened around her thigh.
“You should think about this very carefully, Courtney. Once we start
your training, I will not stand for you hiding anything from me, particularly
blatant dishonesty. If you really want to become a submissive, you have to
make the choice, but know one thing - I will push your limits. Every. Single.
One. Of. Them. I will give you pain and I will make you scream when you
come. When I fuck you, you will come over and over, screaming my
name.”
Courtney unknowingly held her breath. Not even the promise of pain
could reduce the furious thrumming in her clit.
Ruark got up and threw the documents on his desk.
“Come. I’ll take you back to your . . . escort.”
Courtney rose and followed him on trembling legs toward the door.
Quickly, he flipped the light switch off and the next moment he was right in
her personal space. Before she realized what he intended, his hands thrust
into her hair, his strong body was pressed against hers and he walked her
against the wall beside to the door. His large, hard body settled between her
legs, splaying them wide open. One hand curled gently around her throat
and he tilted her face upwards as his lips covered hers. The kiss was hard
and demanding. A kiss like she had never felt before. He kissed her with
deep, drugging strokes, making love to her mouth with his lips, his tongue,
delving so deep she thought he meant to devour her. Hot, wet and so
passionate that it was more of staking a claim than a seduction. He
completely consumed her and in that moment, she was his.
He was hard, all muscled heat and she melted into the corded lines of
his body. He pressed his rigid . . . oh Lord . . . massive cock against her
swollen clit and moved tantalizingly against her. Sliding up and down,
pressing suggestively into her body. Courtney sighed breathily as heat
rippled through her like the surf rolling onto a sandy beach. Her suddenly
hypersensitive clit pulsed and throbbed.
“Now, my pet. You will come for me.”
“No! Let me . . . ooh!”
He opened her pants with a quick flip from nimble fingers and pushed
his warm hand down the front, deftly seeking her soaked pussy. With a
rugged growl, he speared a finger deep inside her pulsing core.
“No? This pussy says something different, my pet.”
He added another finger and stroked his thumb over her swollen,
sensitive clit, causing a low, throaty keen to escape from Courtney’s lips.
With delicate yet firm strokes, he undulated his fingers inside of her. His
swirling thumb circled her slippery clit, wet from her juices, and made her
breath catch in her throat. She clutched at his bulging biceps and her long
nails burned into his skin, but he barely felt it. Ruark’s vision, his senses,
everything was consumed by her. Her beauty, her sensuality, her fucking
need!
“Now, my pet. Come for me now.”
Every fiber in her trembling body responded to his rasping command
and she exploded. Her pussy muscles gripped his fingers so tightly, he
flinched and his cock twitched angrily from not being inside her to revel in
the ecstasy. Courtney released a husky wail and the sound echoed
throughout the room. Ruark kept feeding her orgasm, rendering her
vulnerable and breathless from the continuous orgasms that wracked her
quivering body.
He slowly removed his hand and zipped up her pants, leaning against
her, his strength keeping her upright against the wall. Courtney dragged a
deep breath through quivering lips, desperate to recover her strength. Ruark
took a step back and looked down at her. Her eyes flashed at him in the dim
hallway light that illuminated her face.
Grinning, he took her elbow to guide her down the stairs, satisfied by
the flush of her multiple orgasms upon her cheeks. The moment they
reached the bottom of the stairs, she eagerly tore her arm from his grip,
slanting no more than a glance his way before disappearing into the ladies’
room.
Courtney banged into one of the stalls, fully equipped with a toilet, a
basin, and a comfortable plush bench. It was nearly as big as her entire
bathroom at home. She slid down the door, until her bottom was fully on
the floor, still desperately trying to get her jagged breathing under control.
Her body still pulsed from the unbelievably intense climaxes she had
- solely on his command! She still could not believe that she climaxed so
quickly and so damn hard. She had three more, one after the other. That was
a first for her. Multiple orgasms!
“Courtney? Where are you?”
She groaned. She knew her sister would not listen to instructions.
Maybe she should chat to her Dom about that. Keeping her safe was of
utmost importance!
She cracked the door and Lindsey slipped inside. Looking at
Courtney, her lips turned up into a wide satisfied smile.
“Hot day-amm, sis. I never thought I would see you in this club, let
alone wearing one hell of a sexy corset!”
“Yeah, well, me neither. Linds, didn’t Jason tell you to stay away
from me? This is dangerous. I cannot let them know about you. If my cover
is blown, a lot of people will get hurt. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself
if something happened to you!”
Lindsey caught the deep guilt in her sister’s eyes and wanted kick
herself. She knew how Courtney felt when a bust went haywire, especially
after her best friend was killed in one several years ago. From that moment
on, she gave up caring about people who weren’t family. It all happened just
after Courtney divorced Ryan Butler. Six years ago. She had been alone for
six years. No friends, no love to carry her and support her. Leaving her
alone and . . . lonely. Her sister needed to find love . . . and soon.
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. You look so damn hot. And
modeling! I always told you that you shouldn’t have given up modeling in
college. You’re a natural. Damn, that lingerie. Phew . . . hot is not the word!
I recorded it. Ruark is coming for lunch tomorrow. He is going to be the
first to see it.”
“NO! Don’t you dare show something like that to that . . . that
playboy! Now, Linds, you really have to get out of here. Go!”
Lindsey smiled as if she had just been given the biggest present ever
and Courtney’s eyes narrowed on her.
“Lindsey, what is that look for?”
“What look? Tsk, relax sis, everything will be fine.”
 Butter would not melt in her mouth and Courtney sighed, wondering
what went on in that head of hers. Lindsey gave her a hug and swept out the
door like the whirlwind she was.
 Chapter Three

“You two are the biggest pricks in this agency, do you know that?”
Courtney glared at her bosses. As usual, she was not scared of throwing
punches and they grinned at each other. May this little firebrand never
change.
“Now, now, Agent Sears. Is that any way to talk to your superiors?”
“I am warning you. If either of you say one more word about last
night, I am going to kick your both of your asses!”
Their raspy laughter only served to aggravate Courtney even further
and she glared in their direction. Sloan sobered.
“We are doing a thorough check on William Hallow. Personally, I
don’t believe he is involved, but you never know. I think Sanders is only
using him to gain access to the club.”
“He might try to get others invited to the club for meetings.”
Courtney pondered aloud, a small furrow between her brows.
“Our sentiments exactly.”
Her private phone rang and she sighed, but swiped her finger over the
screen to answer the call.
“Lover boy . . . this is a surprise.”
“Fuck that voice gets to me every time.”
“Ditto, bro. Ditto!”
“We have? That’s good news. When are we supposed to start?” Her
eyes narrowed warningly on the two men ogling her as she continued her
conversation. One would swear I suddenly grew horns! “I see. What am I
supposed to wear? Okay, I’ll be waiting, Babe.”
She banged the phone down on the desk and cursed nonstop. Sloan
and Hagan could not keep their mirth at bay.
“Problems, Agent Sears?”
“We’ve been accepted at Club Alpha Cove.”
“With that corset you wore, did you have any doubt?”
“This is not fucking funny.”
“I believe Ruark has decided to train her personally. You know what
that means, Bud?”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
 “Damn, Sloan. That is a pity. I would have loved to hear that husky
voice beg.”
“What. Are. You. Talking. About!”
“If he takes charge of your training, Ruark won’t allow any of the
Senior Club Masters to take part in training you.”
“Thank the Lord for small favors.”
“But, he will let them participate in your punishments and your
discipline.”
“Aargh! Just fuck off. Both of you.”
Courtney spun around and thundered out of their office in a real hissy
fit. Her ‘training’ was to commence that night. Luckily, it was only going to
be a tour of the facility and introductions to the equipment and rooms . . .
rooms? What rooms? She was even allowed to wear jeans. Yippee!

Courtney was relieved to find that only Master Quinlan met them in the
foyer of the club. He started by instructing the group of fifteen people to
introduce themselves.
“Now that you are all better acquainted, let me introduce myself. I am
Quinlan Shaw, the Training Master at Club Alpha Cove. You may call me
Master Quinlan or Sir. We take the training of Doms and subs very
seriously here. If any of you are not here for the purpose indicated on your
application, I suggest you leave now.”
Courtney was hard pressed not to turn around and run to the docks.
“I have been training Doms and subs for the past ten years and I
daresay, with a one hundred percent success rate. I would hate to fail this
time. Now, just a few quick rules. Every sub has the right and responsibility
to use a safeword if play becomes too much to handle. The club uses
universal safewords. Think of a traffic light. Green is go. If you are not
sure, want a break or just want to discuss what is happening, then yellow
and red to stop. The Dom will immediately cease what he is doing.”
“Can we use the safeword even during training?”
“Training is used to hone your skills as a sub - how to be a good
submissive, so yes, if you are scared or do not want to do something
demanded of you at any point, then use your safeword. That is also why
each of you had to complete a limits list. Every Senior Master who partakes
in your training will understand your limits. Beware, though, not to use
your safeword lightly. Our job as Doms is to push your boundaries to see
and find any trigger that sets you off, while still respecting your limits. If I
find that you use your safeword too lightly, it may lead to punishment.”
“I imagine no using of safewords then, right?”
“You’re a quick study, my pet.”
Courtney’s back immediately became ramrod straight and she
stiffened, feeling Ruark’s large hand briefly caressing the small of her back.
She wore skinny jeans with a white halter-top and high-heels.
“Correct, Courtney. When you are being punished or disciplined, it is
because you overstepped the boundaries as a sub. You are expected to
accept your punishment and discipline in the spirit of which it is given and
take responsibility for your action. Learn and grow from it. Then apologize
and ask for forgiveness. However, your safeword is just that, to use when
you feel overwhelmed or can’t stand further punishment and it is always
your right to use it. Be assured that should you use the safeword at such a
time, the Dom will cease activities immediately. Any more questions?
Alright, let us start with our tour then.”
“One moment, Master Quinlan. Our new subs may as well get used to
their dress code going forward. Ladies, please remove your tops.”
Courtney stiffened. Shit. She was wearing a white shelf bra, which
only had tiny strips of lace covering her nipples. She loved sexy lingerie
and loved how much freedom a shelf bra offered, while making her feel
sexy at the same time. But not with Devlon and all the other men gawking
at her. More specifically, the hot and steamy Liege, who managed to induce
a stirring in her pussy with nothing more than a look. She watched covertly
as the other women eagerly obeyed the instruction. Most of them wore sexy
bras, some of which were even skimpier than hers. Two were even braless.
“Miss Abner, I’ll take yours, if you please.”
Her eyes flashed to Ruark and the devilish grin on his lips stirred the
juices in her pussy to soak her panties. She grabbed the edge of her halter-
top and ripped it over her head, throwing it toward him in a single motion.
His eyes dropped to her jutting breasts as he caught the flimsy piece of
material in his hand.
Damn. She had breasts to die for.
They were round, full, firm and he salivated for a taste. The shelf bra
was made of white lace and the cups pushed her breasts upward even more.
Tiny strips of lace covered her nipples to fasten around her neck. His cock
throbbed with urgent demand in his pants.
Unfortunately, it was obvious that the bastard at her side agreed with
him, as he too leered at her chest. Ruark was hard pressed not to punch him
in the face.
“Thank you, ladies. All of you, hands behind your backs and keep
them there until we are back here. Do not let this turn into the first
discipline for you.”
The women giggled excitedly and Courtney groaned at their
eagerness to please the demanding Doms. They clasped their hands behind
their backs, which forced their shoulders back, causing their breasts to
protrude invitingly.
“Do you need assistance, Miss Abner?”
“No Sir!” She sassed Ruark before she clasped her hands in the small
of her back. Courtney groaned as her full C-cup sized breasts strained
toward the smiling man in front of her. As his heated gaze brushed over her
nipples, they pebbled into hard little stones. She was mortified.
“Careful Sub. Insolence toward a Dom is always punished. Against
the Liege . . . well...” Ruark let the words hang, his hands itching to reach
out and brush over those succulent breasts of hers.
One of the trainees asked the question, “What do you mean by Liege,
Mr. Greer?”
Quinlan provided the answer. “You’ve all met Ruark Greer? He is the
owner of this club, as well as others around the globe. People in the BDSM
community started referring to him as the King, because of his position as
Chairman of the Global BDSM forum and the respect they have for the role
he continues to play in the community. This resulted in everyone addressing
him as ‘my Liege’. At first, it bothered Ruark, but over the years he
accepted it as his protests were ignored. And yes, any willful action against
him carries a much harsher punishment than one against a Senior Master or
a Dom. Therefore subs, be aware that you will elicit punishment for being
insolent or disrespectful toward our Liege.”
Oh, I am so screwed!
Ruark enjoyed the mutinous expression that flashed across Courtney’s
face. He could not wait to begin her training. It was most definitely going to
be a challenge. She was a real spitfire. To get her to fully submit to him . . .
it would be the highlight of his D/s experience.
 A faint blush warmed her skin and his eyes skimmed over her beauty.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her skin was flawless and she still
glowed. He wondered if she glowed all over, intending to find out soon. Her
hair was a rich medium brown, silky and thick as it tumbled down her back.
Oh, what it would feel like to fold those strands around his fist to hold her
head in place when her lips closed around his cock. Shit . . . focus Greer. He
growled at himself when said appendage twitched against his zipper as if
playing a set of drums.
Her face was perfectly symmetrical. The large doe eyes were almond
shaped and a deep violet that flashed purple fire when she was annoyed.
Long, thick lashes enhanced the deep violet color. Her heart shaped face
was pure perfection with her high cheekbones and rounded chin. A chin that
was jutting forward challengingly at the moment, drawing his gaze to full,
inviting lips. Lips he knew were as soft as velvet and as juicy as peaches.
His gaze hovered on them, once again imagining those lips closing around
his cock as she pulled him deep into her mouth.
Oh yes. She would be his. Devlon Sanders just lost his girlfriend and
his potential sub.
 
 Chapter Four

 The night was charged with sizzling energy. So far, the fashion show was a
huge success. Courtney sat down on a chair in the changing rooms and
rubbed her feet. These damn stilettos were killing her. She was also
relatively sure that she noticed Lindsey, Jason and Ruark sitting in the front
row, on her last trip down the runway.
Damn the man! What interest did he have in fashion?
Why the FBI could not find a different cover for her was beyond all
comprehension. A model for Pete’s sake. She was a life-long forensic agent
for the FBI out tottering around on high heels! It was ludicrous.
As the runway coordinator yelled for the look change, she sighed and
rose to change into the next outfit. Thank god! Summer wear.
“Oh, fucking hell . . . who wears stuff like this?”  Courtney grumbled
at the denim shorts she was supposed to wear. Gmphf, these were no shorts!
The legs were cut out so high she was relatively sure that the front of her
thong would be visible when she walked. Her ass would be near naked. She
would be as covered wearing just her thong! Her fears were confirmed
when the designer came trotting to her, waving her hands at Courtney.
“Honey cheeks. No panties with these shorts please and only this
bra.”
She held a barely there blue and white striped shelf bra in her hand
and Courtney gaped at her.
“You are not serious?”
“What’s the problem, Doll? Is your pussy not shaved? We have time
to do it quick.”
She dropped the bra over Courtney’s shoulder and trotted away.
Clearly unconcerned at Courtney’s protest, she turned and demanded over
her shoulder, “Leave your hair loose and wear the striped blue and white
stilettos, Doll.”
Courtney simmered as she looked at the pair of shorts in her hands.
Her pussy would be on show to all the people watching. Her nipples would
barely be covered by the damn bra and tottering on stilettos, well that would
force her to push them out even more.
Why am I fucking doing this again?
 She pulled the shorts on and cursed. No amount of pulling at the seam
could close the gap between her body and the material. She glared at her
reflection in the mirror. From the front, the sides of her groin were visible.
From the side, you could see right into her pussy, her labia clearly visible
with every step. Add the stilettos . . . holy fuck!
The stage manager yelled at her and she had no choice but to wait her
queue on the side of the ramp. Her breath caught when she realized it was
indeed her sister and Jason sitting next to Ruark. She yanked on the short
again. How mortifying would it be if she looked into his eyes and creamed
herself on the stage in full view of the world?
I do not need this. Bloody hell!
Her insides quivered, knowing he would have a clear view of her
pussy from where he sat. Somehow, the fact that there would be a million
more people who would see the same thing on television did not bother her
as much as he did.
She cringed as she remembered that this time they had a huge movie-
sized television screen above the runway. Her pussy would be visible in
high definition, larger than life for all to see.
Fucking hell!
She’d just rush through this change as quickly as she could. If she
could manage to keep in line with another model and keep a hand on her
thigh, she might, just might be able to maintain some semblance of dignity.
The designer of course, had other ideas.
“Slight change, Dollies. Only Courtney on stage, no one else. I want a
slow, sexy walk with a number of turns and wide leg stances, baby doll.
Keep your shoulders back, tuck your elbows back and push those beautiful
tits of yours out. I want them to go wild for you. Every man out there must
want to go out and buy an outfit like this for his girl. And walk the entire
length twice.”
Damn me twice! Why in the hell am I doing this again?
Courtney swore she saw Lindsey’s jaw drop so far that it hit the floor,
as she walked past them. She chose to ignore the catcalls. Plastering a
seductive smile on her face, she stepped onto the runway and forced her
mind into a deep space where she was alone, playing dress up. Twirling and
swirling, wearing her mother’s dress.
She followed the designer’s instructions to the letter. One of the wide
leg stances was right in front of Ruark, but she looked over the audience,
feeling the heat of his blazing eyes on her. She did not even know where
Devlon sat, she never did. Didn’t care to know, either. She turned and
walked off the runway amidst thundering applause. She had never felt so
relieved to get off that runway.
The emcee announced the intermission and everyone began to mingle,
blocking her way to the dressing rooms. She smiled politely as she made
her way through the masses and sighed with relief when she reached the
hallway leading to the dressing room.
“Darling! Wait up.”
Oh Lord, not now!
Devlon reached her and his eyes traveled up and down her body,
fixing on her breasts as he drew a finger down her cleavage. She clenched
her jaw. When his hand moved further south she grabbed it and shook her
head.
“Now lover boy, you know how I feel about that.”
He leaned into her and his mouth covered hers. She kept her hands
loosely on his arms, trying to maintain a distance between them. Forcing
herself not to rip her mouth from his was becoming more and more
difficult. Even allowing the intimacy of the kiss was almost too much. She
hated his lips on hers. Hated his tongue twirling around hers.
Devlon moaned and ground his hips into her. She clenched her teeth
and realized she did not feel the warm rush and throbbing that she did with
just a look from Ruark.
“How much longer are you going to make me wait, Courtney?
Dammit woman, I want you!”
“Are we interrupting?”
Courtney had never been so glad for an interruption, even if it was
from the raspy voice of Ruark. She felt Ruark’s dark gaze on her as she
righted her bra that Devlon, in his amour, dislodged from her shoulder.
Ruark’s eyes glowed and burned into hers. She wondered if he had heard
Devlon’s demand.
“No, of course not. Is this woman not the best you have ever seen on
a runway?”
“Quite.”  Ruark’s voice was rough and Lindsey twittered excitedly.
“Oh, she is amazing. I only wonder why we have not seen you at
these shows before. You are well known all over the world.”
“I have been out of the country for a number of years.”
 “Oh? Where?”
“Lindsey, enough.”
“But love, this is so exciting! Do tell, Courtney.”
“She was in Africa for two years and in Russia for the past three.”
Devlon stroked her arm as he answered on her behalf and her mouth
compressed. She hated men that did that.  Ruark’s mouth quirked and she
glowered at him. He knew. Damn that man.
“I, for one, am very glad she decided to come back to New York.”
Lindsey frowned at the possessive look on Devlon’s face when he
looked down at Courtney, who batted her eyes at him and smiled shyly.
Shyly . . . Courtney?
“Are the two of you . . .   you know . . .   exclusive?” She asked
Courtney with worry in her eyes. Jason frowned furiously down at his
fiancée. She needed punishment. Did the bloody woman not hear a word he
had said to her? By the look on Courtney’s face, she was walking a fine line
and could potentially blow her cover.
“Hell yeah.”
Now Courtney was really becoming pissed off. Did she suddenly not
have a voice? Did this asshole really think she was some an empty-headed
bimbo? Ruark’s chuckle was the last straw and with a mumbled excuse, she
headed to the changing rooms, where only models and designers were
allowed. She felt his heated eyes burn into her back the whole way there.
She dreaded seeing him for her first official training session the
following day.

For once, lady luck was on her side. Ruark had been called away on
business and would not be back until the following weekend. It meant there
were four training sessions he would not be attending. The training sessions
were scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, Friday and Saturday nights.
Although, on Saturdays it was not formal training and the trainees were
allowed to play under the supervision of a Senior Master.
They were under strict instructions regarding attire. Courtney had
decided on a mini skirt with a slinky halter-top and stilettos.
Master Quinlan was happy with how the trainee subs were dressed
and commenced with the first training session. It began just after six and
would continue until ten, after which they were allowed to either play under
a Senior Master’s supervision or leave. Seeing the glitter in Devlon’s eyes,
she knew he would want to play. She sighed heavily and shifted her weight
from the one leg to the other. She was dead tired. It had been a very busy
week, with three fashion shows and two photo shoots.
Oh man, I miss shooting at someone!
“Courtney, pay attention.”
She straightened her posture and mumbled.
“Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.”
“You seem somewhat distracted, so please step up here and join me.”
She gritted her teeth, but took the few steps to join him on a small
platform where there was a spanking bench specifically designed for the
club.
“Courtney is going to assist me in demonstrating how to climb on the
spanking bench. You may leave all your clothes on, sub. First, put your
knees in the stirrups, then lean onto the table and grab the handles.”
She did as instructed and gasped when Master Quinlan pushed her
mini skirt up over her hips.
“This is too tight. It won’t allow room to spread your knees wide
enough in order to get your other knee in the stirrup.” He offered in
explanation.
Again, she grinded on her teeth when he stroked a firm hand over her
ass cheeks, gripping one in his hand to lift her higher on the horse.
He hid a smile at the curse she tried to swallow in indignation. Yeah,
Ruark was going to enjoy teaching this one.
“Did you say something, sub?”
“No Sir.”
“Good.”   He turned to the class and walked around the spanking
bench as he explained further. “As you can see, this allows the Dom free
access to the sub’s legs, back, ass, pussy and tits.”  
He touched each body part as he mentioned it and she stiffened when
his hand brushed over her pussy and pinched her breasts.
“Of course, it is preferable that the tits are naked and hanging free
when you use the spanking bench. You can position your sub either as high
as this, if your intention is only to spank or flog her back or ass. If you want
access to her pussy, you position her so her hips are hanging over the edge
of the Bench . . . like this.”
 Quinlan grabbed her hips and yanked them lower until her ass was
pushed back and her pussy open and freely available. Thank the Lord she
was wearing boy shorts tonight and not a thong!
“You can also tilt the front of the horse down and lift the back to raise
her ass higher . . . like this.” He did as described and Courtney moaned at
the feeling of utter helplessness.
“Subs, for the best experience, you need to relax into the spanking
bench, not fight what your Master intends for you. As you can see, there are
some straps here that could be used for tying the sub down. Let me
demonstrate.”
Courtney felt the straps go around her knees, then her wrists and her
pussy started to throb. Good Lord! How could this turn her on?
“Always make sure the straps are not too tight, otherwise it will cut
off circulation. And remember subs, you are free to use your safeword at
any time.”
“Red!”
Everyone laughed as Courtney cried the word in mock panic.
Quinlan’s lips quirked as he noticed the grin on her face.
“However, as warned previously. Should I believe you are using your
safeword too soon or freely, it may lead to discipline to teach you how to
differentiate what it is you want versus what you need. Again, yellow is
used when you’re uncomfortable or just want to talk about what is
happening or just take a break and red when it is too much and you cannot
take anymore. Such as in this instance.”
Smack.
“Oww!”
Smack.
“Dammit that hurt!”
Smack. Smack.
“Holy fuck!”
“Do you have something to say to me, sub?”
Courtney struggled to catch her breath. Her ass burned from the
spanking . . . with his bare hand, no less! It was much worse than the
spanking Devlon gave her with a paddle at the other club. More than that,
her pussy was wet and her clit pulsed with need.
“Courtney?” She frowned, and then remembered she was supposed to
ask for forgiveness.
 “I-I am sorry, Sir. Please forgive me.”
“Very good.” Quinlan’s lips quirked again, hearing the annoyance she
tried to hide. Ruark made it clear that none of the other Senior Masters were
allowed to touch her and he was limited to a smack here and there. He knew
better than to push those boundaries. Ruark would look at the recordings
once he was back. His smile widened as he recalled the final instruction he
was given.
“No one plays with her, Quin. Is that clear?”
“As crystal. However, what about her boyfriend, Devlon Sanders.”
“Any word in the sentence that confuses you, Quinlan?”
Quinlan had laughed and slapped his best friend on his back and
winked at him.
“Not to worry, my Liege. She will be kept a BDSM virgin for you.”
“She bloody well better be.”
Quinlan untied Courtney and helped her climb from the bench. She
yanked her skirt down over her hips and glared at him. His eyebrows rose
and he gave her the Dom look. Her eyes fell before his.
“Subs, as mentioned in our introduction on Wednesday, be careful not
to challenge a Dom - any Dom in this establishment. They could and would
demand a specific punishment for you, which I would allocate a Senior
Master to handle. All Senior Masters have the right to punish and discipline
any of you at any time, depending on the action leading to it. Where should
your eyes be, subs?”
“Lowered to the floor, except when told otherwise.”
“Good. Something you seemed to have forgotten already, Courtney?”
Looking at the floor all the time. Really? What type of medieval rule
was that?  She cleared her throat.
“I . . . ahem . . . must have missed that bit.”
“And now that you do know?”
She pressed her lips together, her eyes lowered. This was utter
bullshit!
“Courtney?”
“Of course, I will endeavor to do as instructed, Sir.”
Quinlan could not help it. He burst out laughing. Endeavor to do as
instructed, indeed. Damn, Ruark must have realized what a challenge she
would be. He continued to demonstrate the Spider Web Suspension Frame,
a bondage stool, a dungeon stockade and ended with the Executioner
Bondage Chair.
“Okay trainees that is it for tonight. You can all go and play if you
wish, except for you, Courtney. Ruark wants you to tend to the bar until he
is back.”
Her jaw dropped and Devlon complained loudly.
“That is unacceptable. I want to play with her.”
“Yet, that is what he wants. Cassie, you do not have a partner, do you?
There you go, Sanders. Go play with Cassie.”
He took Courtney’s arm and ushered her back up the stairs and
toward the bar. He tightened his hand when she struggled.
“I am no barkeep. Nor did I join this club to become one.”
“It is part of your training, Sub. To see how you respond to an
instruction from your Master.”
“He is not my bloody Master.”
“Luckily for you, he is not here to hear your insolence, little sub. Now
be a good girl and take that top off.”
“Wha . . . No!”
“Now.”
Fuck these bloody Doms!  The modeling stint did her well, otherwise
she would never have been able to cope with prancing around in only a
skimpy bra.
She whipped the top over her head and Quinlan took it from her,
clearly appreciating the demi cup, red push up bra she was wearing. He
directed her to the entrance of the service area of the round bar and shouted
at the two bartenders.
“Ryder, Thomas, this is Ruark’s new trainee. He wants her to tend bar
with you until he is back from his trip. Clear warning here, Doms, from the
Liege himself. No one touches or plays with her. Is that understood?”
“Not to worry Quin, we will look after her. So, sub, what do you
know about bartending?”
“That I can get drunk at long last?”

The training over the next three sessions saw them learning about the
equipment and the terminology used. Experienced Doms and subs gave
them demonstrations on each piece of equipment. Courtney remained in a
constant state of arousal. Damn, why had she stayed away from this place
for so long? This was what was missing in her sex life. Not that there had
been one. Since her divorce and Zoey’s death, she had remained distant.
The last time she had sex with a man was probably four years ago.
Day-amn! It was time, girl. It. Was. Time. A vibrator can only offer so
much relief.
She was quite annoyed at the fact that she was under instruction from
Ruark not to play. So, to get at least some action, she deliberately sassed
Master Quinlan and ended up over a spanking bench, to receive ten swats
with a paddle.
“Master Quinlan, is this a demonstration, or a punishment?”
He was back. Oh shit.
“Punishment, my Liege. She sassed me. She is due ten with the
paddle.”
“Is this her first punishment?”
“No, her second.”
“Hmm . . . well, why don’t I take care of that for you?”
“As you wish, my Liege.”
She felt his hands on her hips, slowly stroking the seam of the denim
shorts she was wearing. He walked to the front and slowly but deliberately
tightened the leather wrist cuffs around her wrists, hooking them to the steel
shackles on the legs of the horse. He lowered the front part of the bench and
lifted the back part higher. Her ass was now sticking high into the air. He
stroked his finger down her cheek and leaned down.
“Now is it not luck I decided to come back early, little pet?”
He walked back to the other side and she gasped when she felt him
lift her hips and unzip her shorts.
“These are in my way. They have to go.”
“No!”
No matter how she wiggled or tried to kick at him, he had her shorts
off and threw them on her back. By the time he had her legs tied as well,
she was breathless. She gasped when his large hand stroked over her ass.
Her ass, sticking up in the air, with only a thong to cover her pussy!
She moaned when his finger dipped beneath the thong to slowly and
sensually stroke over her labia.
“Sweet and so wet, little pet. Not that I can see anything now, but
from the glimpses I got at the fashion show, you have a beautiful pussy.”
 She groaned and rested her forehead on the padded bench, her long
hair like a curtain around her face. Suddenly his fingers were gone and had
moved to stroke over her ass.
“Beautiful. I can’t wait to whip that pussy of yours, my pet. Now tell
me, why are you being punished?”
“I-I sassed Master Quinlan.” She stammered, the thought of him
whipping her pussy made her even wetter.
“How?”
“He told me to bend over and grab my ankles. I told him . . . that I . . .
ahum . . . was too short and couldn’t reach my ankles.”
Ruark could not keep the smile back. He was going to enjoy this. He
kept stroking her ass, then grabbed the tender skin with a firm hand and
squeezed. She gasped and strained against the shackles.
“This is how it works when I punish you, my pet. You will count each
stroke. If I do not hear a count, I continue until I do. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“Yes who?” He squeezed the cheek he was gripping harder.
“Sir! Yes Sir.”
“You will refer to me as ‘my Liege’, sub. I’ve already told you that.
What is your safeword?”
“Red.”
“Remember it, Courtney.”
Smack.
The stroke of the paddle was so unexpected and so hard she could not
catch her breath to count.
Smack.
“One!”
Fuck! That hurt.
He started easy, as if he was caressing her ass with the paddle and
then slowly built to medium swats and kept it at that. He set a rhythm, but
did not allow her too much grace. He watched her intently all the time. At
the end, the force of the blows shuddered through her to set her clit alight.
Her breath wheezed out of her, her ass on fire. She was breathing hard and
trembled with the strain as the warmth of arousal rushed through her.
Her mind struggled to comprehend the need and desire that rushed to
her pussy from her blazing ass.
 Ruark slipped his fingers beneath her panties and Courtney froze. She
knew she was wet . . . soaked, actually. She had never felt as sexually needy
as she did at that moment.
“Ah, my little pet is even wetter. You’ve soaked these panties, Baby.
Do you have something to say to me?”
“I-I am sorry, Sir.”
“What did I tell you to call me?”
“I am sorry, my Liege.”
“What for?”
“For sassing Master . . . oohh . . . Quinlan.”
She lost her breath when he pushed a finger inside her, slowly
swirling it around and around. Brushing against her soft walls, slowly
heating her core and she felt a tiny shiver starting at her toes, beginning to
wiggle its way up her legs, then her spine and teasing her brain. A brain that
felt fried when he added another finger and pushed deep inside her. His
thumb pressing down on her clit.
She felt the heat of him before she felt him as he leaned forward to
growl in her ear. “Because you could not manage to behave yourself in my
absence, my pet, this might teach you some discipline. You will not come.
Is that clear?”
“Oh god, please!”
“Is that clear, Courtney?”
“Don’t, please Sir.”
“Who?”
“M-my Liege.”
“Is that clear?”
“Yes. Yes Si . . . my Liege.”
Courtney bit her lip, her whole body already on high alert. The slow,
easy strokes around her clit drove her crazy and she felt the pressure
building inside her core so rapidly, she panted. The blazing fire upon her ass
was now completely forgotten.
“Oh fuck, please!”
Ruark pushed his fingers deeper, curling them inward to rub the
bundle of nerves and her whole body jerked violently. He increased the
pressure on her clit and felt it tighten and swell insistently against his finger.
He stilled his hands.
“Oh please!”
 “You do not have permission to come.”
He started again and he was ruthless. He pushed her to the edge again
and again, only to stop when she was on the verge of exploding.
“Please, oh fuck, please. I can’t anymore.”
“What do you need, little one?”
“I need to come. Please my Liege. Let me come.”
He took her to the edge twice more, and then withdrew his hands
from her hot pussy.
“No! Oh, Lord you can’t be that cruel.”
“Do you have something to say to me, sub?”
“I am sorry, my Liege. For not behaving in your bloody absence!”
“It seems that you still have not learned any discipline. Shall we
resort to punishment in order to get the point across, Courtney?”
“Oh god no. Please no. I am sorry, my Liege.”
“Very well. Keep still.”
She heard him move to the end of the room, open a drawer and come
back. She gasped when she felt the heat and then the cold of something he
was rubbing on her ass.
“This is arnica cream. It will help prevent bruising. Your ass is a nice
red, my pet. Very nicely red indeed.”
After untying her and helping her down from the spanking bench, he
held her shorts for her to step into. She was trembling so much, with
repressed need, she could not lift her leg. Stroking the arch of her foot, he
gently lifted one after the other and soon zipped the shorts closed. Wrapped
in a soft blanket, enfolded in his arms, Courtney eventually relaxed against
his chest where they sat on one of the large leather couches. He gave her a
bottle of energy water and she gulped half of it down, surprisingly thirsty.
“How do you feel about your lessons?”
“Which one?”
“Let us start with the spanking.”
“It hurt! I’m not used to being spanked.”
“Yet you managed to take it. And it got you so wet, your panties were
soaked.”
She groaned and hid her face in his chest.
“What about the next discipline?”
“Hated it. That was just plain cruel.”
“Yet effective?”
 “Effective for who?” She sounded like a petulant child and he
chuckled.
Quinlan approached at that point. “Apologies for interrupting.”
“Courtney, do you have something to say to Master Quinlan?”
“I am sorry for sassing you earlier, Sir.”
“The screams told me at least he did not let you off easily.  Sanders is
ready to leave and seems quite annoyed that he can’t find you. Tomorrow
night you will not train, but rather enjoy the show and mingle with the other
guests. Again, when you play, it will be in the . . .”
“No. She does not play. Not until I have finished her training. Is that
understood, Courtney? No one but me.”
“Y-yes, Sir.” He gave her the look.
“Yes, my Liege.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Quinlan grinned and walked away. Courtney
struggled to get off Ruark’s lap and his arms tightened around her.
“One more thing, my pet. You will not come until I tell you to. Is that
clear?”
“But . . .”
“I am sure you will find a way to keep lover boy away from that
pussy. Remember rule number one. If I find tomorrow that you have
willfully disobeyed me, you will be punished and it will be severe.”
She managed to escape his arms and stood glaring down at him with
her hands on her hips.
“That is just preposterous. I am in a relationship with Devlon. I can’t
just . . .”
“Yet you will. Keep him away from that pussy, Courtney. For the
duration of your training, it belongs to me.”
“You have no right. You . . .”
“There you are, darling. Master Quinlan said we are allowed to leave.
Good evening my Liege.” Ruark just nodded and Devlon turned back to
Courtney, his hand in the small of her back, “Shall we?”
She walked away, her stomach tight and her core even tighter. She
was so desperate for a climax it was not even funny. How the hell would he
know if she masturbated tonight? The heat still scorching in her backside
warned her not to even try and find out.
 Chapter Five

 “Forrester.” Sloan answered the phone absently, concentrating on the report

he was reading.
“He is meeting someone at the club tonight.” Courtney said without
wasting time.
“Any idea who?”
“No, but it sounds as if there are two, maybe three people. It seems he
managed to get William to twist Ruark’s arm to accept them tonight.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“That I should act like a good little sub and sit at his feet, while he
talks to them.”
Sloan could not help the chuckle at her infuriated tone. She was just
too hard assed to ever be a perfect sub and Ruark realized that, which Sloan
supposed was part of his attraction to her. Ruark enjoyed the constant
challenge of reforming a wayward, sassy sub. In Courtney, he believed
Ruark saw the potential of a lifelong pleasure.
“We need to wire you up. Can you bring your outfit so we can weave
it into your clothes? I don’t want to tape a wire on you. We’ll use two of
those new fiber-tech sonic threads, and a micro-video cam.”
“Yeah sure. An hour from now?”
“Good. We’ll see you then.”
He got up and yelled out the door at Hagan, who came in carrying a
cup of coffee.
“What?”
Sloan explained the situation and they decided to add some additional
agents to safeguard the club’s docks. Just in case something goes haywire. It
was play night for everyone this week and typically, there were more people
than usual. Jason and Lindsey would most definitely be there, too.
They arrived at the FBI building the same time Courtney did. She
appeared more stressed than usual and a bit pale. Sloan looked at her
questioningly.
“Are you okay, Courtney?”
“I’m fine.”
“Courtney, if you’re concerned about Lindsey, pull out now. Don’t
even go to the club tonight.”
 “I have a feeling about tonight, Sloan. Devlon is just too . . . too
cocky. It is as if he is expecting something big. The way he spoke about the
guys he is meeting . . . my gut tells me they are the big canons and that is
the ultimate honor to him. To be involved in such a meeting. No, I can’t pull
out now. If I am right, you need me there with a wire. It may all end tonight,
Sloan. Oh hell, I pray it ends tonight. I can’t stand him touching me any
longer.”
Sloan grinned. Somehow, he had a feeling a certain Ruark Greer was
the reason for her increased repulsion toward Devlon Sanders. He unzipped
the bag and whistled between his teeth. Hagan followed with one of his
own.
“Jeez, sub! Who are you trying to bowl over?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing. Apart from the fact there is hardly any of . . . it.”
“Please! They are shorts and a corset. More than enough material.”
“Yeah, purple thong-like, rubber shorts and a shelf style corset. I
suppose a pair of thigh high stiletto boots will go with this?”
“Awh, Boss. You know me so well.”
“I’m not sure where they will be able to put the wire in this little bit
of nothing.”
He phoned the tech office and one of the agents came to fetch the
outfit for wiring.
“My boots have stainless steel spike heels. Will I be able to get a
knife past the sensors with them?”
“Yes, but I’m not so sure you’ll need to. We will both be carrying our
nine-mils. I am setting up some agents at the docks, too.”
“I’d rather be safe than sorry.”  

Ruark forgot to breathe when Courtney walked . . . no floated, into the club.
Much like when she walked out on that runway in the barely there shorts
and shelf bra. She turned slightly to greet and chat with one of the other
trainees and he pursed his lips.
She wore some shiny rubber hot shorts, which were cut so high at the
back that nearly half of her ass cheeks peeked out to entice him. Not that he
needed the sight of her bare ass to make his cock hard. He got hard just
thinking of her. For that matter, he had been hard since the first day he saw
her.
Damn, this woman was tempting. Scrap that. She was addictive.
 He did not even bother to excuse himself from his two FBI friends,
Jason, Lindsey and Quinlan. He just walked toward the hovering couple.
“Sanders.”
“Evening, my Liege. It looks like we are in for a fun night.”
“Indeed. Before the festivities commence, Quinlan needs all the
trainees in the red room. Miss Abner, you will come with me.”
He ignored Devlon’s protests and gestured to a grinning Quinlan, who
shook his head and walked to the red room for a short debriefing with the
trainees. Courtney struggled ineffectively against the hard hand clasped
around her elbow.
“I am quite capable of walking on my own!”
“Hell no. I am worried you are going to topple over. Those are killer
heels, my pet.”
She speared an irritated glance at him and lengthened her strides to
keep up with him. He noticed that one thing about her. She was not tall. In
fact, she was probably no more than five six, if that, but she walked like a
tall person, with confidence, drive and direction.
Bloody hell, he wanted this woman.
“But I like them. I might even get you to wear nothing but the boots
one night and play a bar waitress.”
She gasped and purple lasers slashed at him, nearly incinerating him
with their heat.
His eyebrows rose. “Exhibitionism was not a hard limit, sub. You said
yes to inside the club. Besides, I’ve seen you flaunting that pussy of yours
in public. I’ve even recorded it from Fashion TV.”
“Oh shit!”
He chuckled and drew her into his office without switching the light
on. Her heart missed a beat. He pressed her against the wall with his hard
body immovable in front of her. His eyes burned into hers as he took her
hands and trapped them above her head. A shuddering gasp puffed against
his cheek when he stroked a finger over the slopes of her breasts. Ruark
smiled as it was immediately followed by a low moan when he slowly
pushed the cups of the bra down, baring her breasts. They puckered
immediately under his heated eyes.
 “You have magnificent breasts, my pet.”
His rough fingertips cupped one breast and he squeezed. Courtney’s
breath hissed out of her throat. The weight of her breasts felt perfect as he
caressed their rounded fullness. She seemed tiny as his large hand nearly
covered her entire voluptuous breast. She looked down and bit her lip at
how erotic her breast looked surrounded by his manly fingers.
He flicked a nail over her nipple and she cried out, her head pressed
back against the wall. A flick followed over the other, a mere second before
he took one succulent nipple between his fingers, rolling and tweaking it
softly. Courtney experienced an awakening, a throbbing demand in her
pussy as he repeated the caress with the other just as sensually, making it
impossible for her ignore.
“Your nipples are very sensitive. I am going to enjoy playing with
them next week.”
“Ooh!”
“Look at me, Courtney.”
Her eyes opened, her cry sounded harsh in the quiet room when he
pinched her straining nipple and slowly continued increasing the tormenting
pressure. He watched her eyes the whole time. Courtney sagged weakly
against him, her heart racing. The pressure on her nipple tugged painfully at
her quaking clit. Courtney cried out when he increased the pressure even
more.
“Oh please.”
“Please what, my pet?”
“I . . . I . . . don’t know.”
Ruark chuckled and dipped his head to suck her nipple into his heated
mouth, keeping the pressure on the other but ignoring her straining body.
He drew on her nipple tenderly at first, then harder and harder still.
Courtney panted and cried, her hips reaching for his leg between hers.
“Ohohoh. Hmmmoore.”
Ruark switched breasts and she cried when his mouth devoured her
nipple. He decreased the pressure on both nipples slowly to gently press and
roll her nipple against the roof of his mouth.  Again, he did the same with
the other. Courtney was ready to explode. Every pull of his mouth, every
squeeze of his finger tightened her clit and the pressure inside her core was
threatening to explode. She was so close, her body tensed and her thighs
trembled. Oh god, almost . . . almost!
 “Please. I can’t . . . I need to . . .!”
“You need to what, little one?”
“I need to come. Please. Please.”
“Ahh, my pet. You obeyed me. You may come. Now.”
He ground his rock-hard cock against her and slanted his hips up and
down her clit, lifting her legs from the floor. Her scream ripped through the
room as she shattered so completely that her whole body went rigid. Jagged
pleasure stole her breath and she threw her head back, as the sensations
overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes and Ruark stopped grinding against
her, allowing her to experience every scorching sensation.
God, she was beautiful when she came.
“Ah, my beautiful little pet, that is what I wanted.”
Courtney panted and his sexy grin stole the breath she managed to
suck into her lungs, right away.
It took her quite a while to return to herself, though she still felt a
buzz sizzling through her body when she joined Devlon a short while later.
Ruark’s rough voice in her ear just before he returned her caused her
nipples to tighten into hard pebbles once more.
“I do not want his hands on you, my pet. Keep them off - if you know
what is good for you.”
A sense of possessiveness gripped him when he watched her come
undone in his arms. When he felt her helpless submission to the sensations
he caused her to feel. She was his and that was not negotiable.
Devlon laid his hand on her hip and drew her toward the bar. She
moved surreptitiously away from him, forcing his hand to drop from her
hip.
“Good girl.”  Ruark grinned and his cock swelled in pride and furious
expectation.
Courtney accepted the cocktail and followed Devlon down the bar
steps. He was looking around, clearly searching for the people he was
meeting.
“Ahh! They are here already. Remember, my darling. A good little
sub. It would be quite fun if you knelt next to me on the floor. That would
really thrill them. This is an important meeting, so please remain quiet.”
She nodded. If he thought for one moment she was going to kneel in
front of him, he was totally insane. She searched the area where they were
headed and then froze.
 Fuck!
She knelt as if she was fixing something on her boot. She swung her
head back to Sloan and Hagan. She made a frantic gesture with her fingers
and Sloan rose slowly.
“Fuck, Hagan. Someone at that table knows her.”
“Pull her out. Now!”
“No, she says no.”
“What the fuck are the two of you talking about?”
“Ruark. We didn’t see you there, Bud.”
“Clearly.”
“Shit, Sloan. I don’t like this. She’s not wearing a vest!”
“The two of you better start talking.”
“Ruark, relax. I will explain shortly. For now, please just chill.”
Ruark glowered at Sloan, knowing that something was wrong, but he
had no idea what. He turned and caught Bracus LeLuc’s eyes. He waved
him closer. Bracus owned his own security firm and handled all security
matters on David’s Island as well.
“What’s up?”
“Something, but I have no idea what. Get your guys in and keep an
open eye. I have a suspicion it has something to do with Devlon Sanders.”
“On it.”
He turned back and cursed. Courtney was kneeling next to Devlon on
the floor. That was not a position he wished to see her in. Kneeling in front
of another man.
Courtney kept her eyes facing forward, but could see Sloan and
Hagan in her peripheral vision. She cursed when Ruark joined them. She
appeared to be paying no attention to the four men sitting on the couch and
chairs behind her.
One of the men was Dimitri Costas, the biggest drug smuggler in
Mexico. He was released from jail only two months ago. They were still
trying to figure out how. He was sentenced to thirty years only five years
ago. Courtney played a key role in having him locked up at the time. She
had no clue who the man on his right was, but the one on his left was the
one that floored her. Paul Carter. Congressman Paul Carter. She started
spelling their names with sign language. Hoping Sloan would notice.
He did and he cursed viciously.
 “It is Costas and Paul Carter. Don’t know the third one. You ever seen
him, Hagan?”
“No, but he might be a bodyguard. Fuck me! Congressman Carter?
Shit!”
“Yeah.”
Sloan rose slowly from the high back chair he was sitting on,
preparing for the worst. Hagan right next to him. He increased the sound
level of the receiver in his ear and listened to the feed from the wire in
Courtney’s corset.

“Are you sure your girl can be trusted, Sanders?”

“What does it look like, Congressman? Best slave a man could wish
for. She does what I want, no questions asked. No protest. She just does.”
“I should get one for myself. Well, Costas? Please tell me I did not
waste my money to get you out of jail.”
Costas’s laugh was ugly. It had always been ugly. He was a cruel man.
An unemotional man. That made him an extremely dangerous man.
“Look Congressman, I know what I am doing. You can stop
worrying.”
“Yeah, which is why you ended up in jail for thirty years. It cost me
millions to get you out.”
“It was that fucking FBI cunt! If I ever get my hands on her, she will
be one dead bitch! But, she taught me to be cautious. To turn over every
stone four times. We are ready to ship.”
“What is ready? I don’t want the same cheap shit your brother has
been supplying me with for the past five years. I make no fucking money
selling watered down heroin.”
“You ready with your trucks, pretty boy? You need to send at least ten
trucks, at two-day intervals, over the next four weeks. Cooling trucks.”
“I was born ready. My team knows what they are doing.”
“The first load will be premium marijuana. I personally graded and
prepared the batches. Then we have blue coke.”
“What is blue coke?”
“New development. My chemist added an additional kick to the
cocaine we’ve been manufacturing. Man, this stuff is potent! It gives you a
ride you will never forget.”
 “Price?”
“500K on top of the normal price.”
“You’re fucking crazy.”
“Trust me, Congressman. You’ll sell that stuff in a flash.”
“I’ll bite, but I’ll only pay 250K on top until I am sure it sells. What
else?”
“Some super-boosted E, then some ultra-pure heroin and meth that is
as clear as water. You can have all of that at the same price as before. To
make up for my brother’s idiocy.”
“What is the street value of this shipment?”
Costas had a satisfied grin on his face and drew out the suspense.
“Close to $200 million.”
“Fuck me!”
“It is the biggest shipment we’ve ever done. Well, while you ladies
mull that over, I’m going to go whizz.”
Courtney lowered her head, allowing her hair to cover her face, when
Costas walked past her. She worried about what to do when he returned. He
would get a good look at her face then. She could only hope there were
people in front of her when he did.
We’ve got them. The bloody bastards. We’ve got them!
Suddenly a pair of shiny loafers came to rest right in front of her.
Courtney knew her luck had run out.
 Chapter Six

 
A harsh curse splintered the air and she stiffened, but aside from every
muscle tightening in preparedness, she did not move.
“You fucking stupid, prick! What are you doing with this fucking FBI
cunt?”
Dimitri gripped her hair and yanked her up against him. Before he
could get his arm around her neck, she rammed her elbow into his xiphoid
process and followed it up with a direct hit to his nose. He stumbled back
and fell on his ass, though he still had his hold on her hair. Out of the corner
of her eye, she noticed the muscled bodyguard reaching for her. She
followed him down fast, using the downward force to swing her legs, and
landed two vicious kicks to the oncoming man. One directly to his face, and
the other a direct strike to his esophagus. He fell back with a frightening
gurgling sound. Blood spurting everywhere.
Courtney ripped her hair from Costas’ hand and leapt to land on her
feet. She saw the hit coming and managed to deflect it somewhat, but was
too late to avoid it. It still had enough force to send her back with a grunt as
she doubled over in pain. Devlon’s face was pulled in a vicious snarl as he
stormed at her, reaching for her throat. She grabbed his wrist and applied
pressure to the sensor point and he screamed, forced to his knees by the
agony that ripped through his whole body. She slammed her knee against
his chin and he fell back, balled up in pain.
“Damn it’s exciting watching this woman fight. No Ruark. Stay away.
If we interfere now, she is dead. She is focused . . . shit!”
He pulled his 9mm and aimed it at the Congressman, who held a
small gun against Courtney’s temple.
“You fucking cunt! Do you really think your word against mine will
mean anything in this state? I am powerful, bitch. I will bury you and no
one will even come looking for you.”
Courtney stood unmoving, her hands loosely by her sides, except for
straining on her toes as he tightened his arm around her throat.
“Are you planning on doing me in front of all these people, you
stupid fuck?”
“He might not, but I fucking will, you fuckhole bitch!”
 Dimitri grabbed the gun from Carter, pushing him away. Courtney
bent her knees and hit. He did not know what struck him. He did not see her
move. Most of all, he did not notice the blur caused by her speed and force,
which resulted in what was described as a blue energy blast. She hit him
square in his chest, her hand not even appearing to touch him. He felt as if
his heart was pulled apart and gasped for breath. He fell back and started to
convulse, the gun dropping on the floor. Carter screamed and charged.
Courtney did a flip and when she came upright, she had the small gun
aimed at his chest. She barely paid attention to Devlon who was now
standing, glaring at her with hatred in his eyes.
“You will regret this, Courtney. I am going to rip you limb from limb.
After I have fucked you raw in every hole in your body!”
He was so furious that he threw caution to the wind and charged at
her. She lowered the gun and squeezed the trigger. He screamed and fell to
the floor, his knee shattered.
“Yeah . . . good luck with that, asshole.”
“You’re a very brave girl with that gun in your hand, aren’t you? Why
don’t you put it down and take me on hand to hand?”
She looked the Congressman up and down. He was probably in his
late forties, but muscled and large. She waved the gun up and down his
body.
“Now that hardly seems like even odds to me, Congressman. You’re a
Hakatan black belt, am I right?”
“Ahh, so you know me. I know I am not walking out of here with
cuffs on, so let’s play. Just know, however, I won’t be in jail for too long.
Who is going to collaborate what you think you heard?”
“Well, that would be us . . . and the FBI control room at the
downtown office.” Sloan offered with a grin. He was leaning against a high
table as if he was watching a game show.
The look on Carter’s face turned deadly, but he kept his eyes on
Courtney, who lo and behold, never walked away from a fair fight. Ruark
cursed as she bent over and laid the gun on the floor, then kicked it
backwards to Sloan. He charged immediately and went into a flying kick.
Courtney waited until he was five inches from her face before she dropped
and rolled away. He turned in the air and kicked back. She deflected with a
kick to his shin.
 She remained loose, never once took a formal karate stance, her arms
hanging down and her hands open. It completely freaked Carter out. No
matter how fast he was, he just could not get a proper hit on her. He
managed to get a slight palm hit against her shoulder, but she barely
staggered.
“Come on Carter. Is that the best you’ve got? This is getting boring.”
She kept her focus totally on him, even though she was aware of
Ruark’s position at all times. He moved around and stayed a step or two
behind Carter, but did not interfere. She knew he would take him down the
moment he managed to catch her off guard. It caused warmth to fill her
heart. Her strong Dom ready to protect her.
What . . . wait . . . her Dom? When had she started thinking of him as
hers?
Carter changed tactics and started to circle, expecting her to counter
move. She was tired of the shit and had no intention of accommodating
him. She did not even turn her head to follow him as he disappeared from
sight. She closed her eyes and waited. Her hands balled into fists, her focus
building the energy and power inside her.
Sloan, Hagan and Ruark looked on in awe as her body trembled and
seemed to shimmer.
“She’s building too much power. She will kill him if she hits him
now.”
Sloan walked closer, but kept a safe distance, watching Carter. The
moment he spun to aim a death inducing kick to her neck she twisted
around, her eyes still closed, brought her hands together and with a hard,
lightning fast push, threw her hands forward.
“Courtney, no!”
Sloan’s voice penetrated her brain and she pulled back and down at
the last minute. A powerful force caught Carter on his thigh. A scream of
agony tore from his lips and he fell to the floor, his femur completely
shattered.
The ‘blue energy technique’ was a movement that was executed with
incredible precision, speed and force. When done properly, it appeared as if
the person completing the act did not even touch their opponent, however, it
would be lethal if released at full force.
Courtney stumbled and felt large hands lifting her and carrying her up
the stairs. She started to tremble, her small hands gripped pieces of his shirt
as Ruark carried her to his office. He sank down on the couch and wrapped
his arms around her, stroking her back. His arms tightened when sobs
started racking through her body. The hands in his shirt tightened and she
drew herself deeper into his body.
Ruark’s lips flattened, his jaw rigid. He remembered the feeling of
adrenaline leaving your body after a fight, an intense rescue mission.
Especially those that did not end the way you wanted. Seeing her fight
brought back all those deep, dark memories. Memories he had buried and
thought he’d forgotten.
Hot damn this woman was powerful.
No matter that he was livid with Sloan and Hagan for not telling him
what was going on. Or that he was furious at her for putting her own life on
the line for a job. A goddamned job!
He smoothed her hair away from her face as her sobs dried up. The
expression on his face was gentle as he tenderly dried the tears from her
cheeks with his fingertips. She was fast asleep giving him the impression
that it was the first time she slept in a long while. He cuddled her for
another ten minutes before laying her down on the couch and covering her
with a blanket that he took from the closet. With compressed lips, he left his
office. Sloan and Hagan better have a fucking good reason for keeping this
from him.
Sloan watched Ruark stalk toward them, every line in his body ready
to strike. His anger was like a living thing. It shimmered over his skin,
glimmered in his eyes and settled in his bulging fists.
“Heads up, Bud. We’re about to be clobbered.”
Hagan turned and groaned. “Fuck!”
Then he was there and he had them dazed on the floor with a slight
twist and two fists in each of their faces and abs before they could even lift
their hands to defend themselves.
“Damn, Bud! Do you want a job at the FBI?”
“Fuck off, Hagan. You better start talking.”
Sloan and Hagan rose from the floor groaning and rubbing their jaws.
“She has been deep under cover for the past eight months, Ruark. We
couldn’t tell anyone. If her cover were blown, she would have been a dead
woman. We know you, Ruark. Had you known you would have gone into
protective Dom mode and it would have been all for nothing.”
 “Instead, the three of you went out of your way to make a fool of
me?”
“I am not sure I follow.”
“Courtney . . . the fucking training program!”
Sloan rubbed his jaw. “We never told her what to do or how to handle
situations in the field, Ruark. She did that on the go. We left it up to her to
decide if she would push her cover to join him at a BDSM club. I am just
glad it was this one. The only way we could think of to protect her, was to
suggest the training program. That way she could at least maintain the
distance between them.”
“What fucking distance? They went home after they were here. He
could do any manner of things to her when they were alone. Who would
have protected her then? She would have allowed it too. For the sake of her
fucking cover.”
“Bud, she didn’t live with him. She hasn’t even slept with him.”
“Bullshit! No man would be able to keep his hands off her.”
“Yet she managed to get him to. He was so infatuated with her, he
was willing to give her time to get used to him. You heard that fucking
husky, sensual voice of hers. She could make me give her a raise if she
aimed it at me. I go hard every time she talks like that.”
“Where is Courtney? Sloan! Where is my sister?”
Ruark turned to Lindsey. “Your sister? She is your sister?”
“Yes! And you nearly got her killed, you fuckers.” Lindsey screeched
and aimed a fist at Sloan. Jason grabbed her hand, pulling her back against
his chest.
“You still don’t have any faith in me, sis.”
“Courtney! I hate you! Do you hear me? I hate you!”
But the grip she had around her older sister’s neck belied her words.
“Yeah, that’s okay, Linds. I love you enough for both of us.”
That induced another bout of tears and Lindsey clutched her even
tighter. Courtney coughed and pulled at her arms.
“Breathe. C’mon Linds. I can’t fucking breathe.”
Lindsey dropped her arms. “Sorry.” She frowned and jabbed a finger
at her chest. “And you should stop cursing so much. It is not ladylike.”
“What we have been trying to tell her for years,” Sloan and Hagan
chimed in simultaneously. Hagan’s cheeks dimpled at the look in her eyes.
 “Bullshit! I’ve had enough of you dickheads to last me a lifetime.
And you know just as well as I do, dimple face, I am no lady. I can’t wait to
get these bloody boots off. Last pair of heels I will ever wear. Thank
heavens.”
Courtney turned to Jason, doing her best to ignore the silent, brooding
man who stood with his arms crossed over his chest, burning a hole through
her with his eyes.
“Would you mind giving me a lift home, Jason? I’m beat.”
She turned to walk toward the door when a thought crossed her mind.
Her eyes wandered over the massive room behind them. Everything had
been cleared away and the people were all back to their normal kinky
selves. She walked back to them.
“On second thought, I’m sure you guys still want to . . . blow off
some steam, or whatever it is you come here for. These two . . . dimwit
bosses of mine can take me home.”
She winked at Lindsey, a small dimple appeared in her cheek.
“See? A whole sentence without a curse word. What do you know?
That’s two.”
She raised her eyebrows at Sloan and Hagan.
“So? Do you need a written invitation?”
Sloan sighed with feigned annoyance, but got up from the high chair
he was sitting on.
“I guess seeing as you single-handedly managed to bust the drug
cartel, we owe you that much.”
“Gmphf . . . let’s talk money. You owe me a bloody raise!”
Sloan remembered what he had just said to Ruark in relation to a raise
and roared with laughter. He draped his arm around her shoulder and led her
toward the door, deliberately raising his voice.
“Now, Agent Sears, if you were to allow me to do a few scenes with
you in the dungeon, strapped to the Saint Andrews Cross and then the red
room . . . maybe then . . . fuck!”
Hagan laughed so hard, he nearly fell over his own feet as Sloan was
flipped head over heels, landing flat on his back, without Courtney breaking
her stride.
“Not even in your fucking dreams, Agent Forrester.”
All of the stress from the past eight months crashed in on Courtney when
she arrived home. She took a long bath and curled into a little ball on her
bed. She remembered Ruark holding her so tightly, yet tenderly after the
fight. As if he knew she was shattered. That she could not stand, that even
her veins trembled inside her body. He never said a word. All he did was
offer her his strength, his . . . his concern.
She sighed. She was such a fraud! The past two weeks and the
training at the club made her feel alive. Excited. As if she had entered a new
era in her life.
Folding her hands around her breasts, she noticed they were still
tender from Ruark’s rough treatment. But . . . day-amn . . . did it feel good!
The more pain he gave her, the wetter and needier she became. If he had
kept at it a few moments longer, she was sure she would have come from
just that. Shit. What did that make her? Pain increased her libido
exponentially and just thinking about it, made her clit throb with need.
Loneliness enveloped her. Every time Ruark held her in his arms, it
felt so good. So damn good. Tears burned behind her eyelids. It had been
years since she’d had that closeness with anyone. Her ex-husband was not
much of a hugger, but at least he was there, until he decided she was a
kinky slut for wanting to add more spice to their marriage. He literally ran
away and divorced her. Bam! Just like that. Did not even try to talk to her.
He just up and left.
Since Zoey’s death six years ago, Courtney had become a little
reserved. She hadn’t seen Ivanka or Geoff in over four years. Her best
friends’ death was her fault. She had become reckless. Thought she was
untouchable and her best friend had to pay the price. She died . . . because
of Courtney’s job.
Two years after that, Ivanka and Geoff’s lives were threatened and
that was the end of it for her. She walked away from her friends and fiercely
protected Lindsey, but she refused to take the chance to let others close
enough to be in danger. It was too hard. No one else was going to die
because of her. Because of her job.
So, she was alone.
With her vibrator.
Damn pathetic substitute.
She rolled over and pressed her face into the pillow. Her whole pussy
pulsed as she remembered Ruark pressing his massive, hard cock against
her. Damn, how she needed to feel him inside her. Fucking her, like he
promised, hard and making her come again and again, as she screamed his
name.
The following morning, she packed a duffle bag, phoned Sloan to tell
him she was heading out and went to the family beach house on Long
Beach. She just needed the small break to relax and sleep. Just sleep.

Wednesday morning, she was back at work, feeling relaxed and refreshed.
She walked into Sloan’s office with a sultry smile on her face. Sloan and
Hagan stared.
“What?”
“You seem rested.”
“And that is why you’re looking at me with that weird look on your
face?”
Sloan grinned and rubbed his jaw. “No. It just seems that the time you
spent at the club and modeling has made you more . . . feminine.”
Courtney scowled at him, shrugged her shoulders and slumped down
in the chair next to Hagan.
“Newsflash, Boss. I am female; hence I’m supposed to be feminine.”
“No, you’ve been a hard-assed FBI agent.”
“Gmphf. Well, I am glad the modeling shit is something of the past. I
hated wearing high-heels all the time.”
“Damn girl, you looked hot in those. Besides, it’s a requirement for
subs to wear them, so don’t chuck them out just yet.”
“And I am glad the BDSM stint is also something of the past,” she
said with another meaningful scowl at the two men.
“Yeeaah . . . about that.”
She sat up at the tone in Hagan’s voice. His hesitation did not bode
well for her. She had a suspicion she was not going to like what was
coming.
“We had a chat with Ruark about your membership, but he won’t
budge.”
“What do you mean ‘he won’t budge’? Budge about what?”
“Canceling your trainee program and membership application.”
“He can’t force me to remain in the bloody program or be a member!”
“Maybe not, but you signed a contract.”
 “Under cover!”
“Wellll . . . if you don’t honor the contract, you will have to pay the
full membership fee as well as a cancellation fee, if you do not intend to
renew the contract after a year.”
She gaped at him.  “That is just plain preposterous!”
Sloan shrugged, “He is a businessman, first and foremost, Courtney.
You made a mistake when you completed the forms, Sears.”
“What mistake?” Dread formed around her heart.
“You used your own social security number, not the fake one. You
used your own address, not the undercover one. You paid the entry fee out
of your own bank account, not the undercover one. You signed and accepted
the terms and conditions as Courtney Sears, not Abner. So, everything on
that application is linked to you. Not to your undercover persona.”
“I guess that means that the Agency will see that as something I did
on my own, not for the purpose of the bust?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“This is so not fair. I don’t want to go back there.”
Sloan looked at the passionate protesting woman. Damn, she was
beautiful, even in her loose cargo pants and tee shirt with Bronx boots. No
wonder Ruark was adamant she returned. Hell, they were glad, too. It was
about time he forgot about the dark years and had someone special in his
life. The years he spent as a private Special Ops recovery agent, took its
toll. The six months he spent being tortured in captivity in Vietnam by some
rogue mercenaries, when a mission to eliminate a sudden up rise of violence
that went south, were particularly tough. Finding out upon your return that
your wife had declared you dead while you were being tortured and hooked
up with your partner? That very nearly turned him into a hermit.
Sloan, Bracus, Quinlan and Jason worked with him for nearly two
years before they got him to be himself again. It took another four years for
the nightmares to stop. He had become very driven during those years. He
drove himself to near exhaustion in the beginning.
Today, he was a businessman whom many revered and admired. He
owned a property development company, an investment company and a
marketing company. And, of course, Club Alpha Cove, which was
established twelve years ago. He was Chairman of all of his companies and
primarily worked from home. A massive mansion he built on David’s Island
after he came back from Vietnam.
 Despite all of that, he was alone. It was high time they did something
about that. Courtney Sears was just the woman to fill that hole in his heart.
They fit each other like a glove. Courtney had her own demons and was just
as alone.
Yip . . . those two needed to become lonely together. Hagan raised an
eyebrow at her.
“Why not?”
“Awh, come on, Sloan. I am not a damn submissive. I can’t keep my
mouth shut and being told to look at the floor and keep my eyes lowered?
That is medieval.”
“But teaching you how to keep your mouth shut would be so much
fun, Sears. Submission is allowing someone else to take control of all your
needs, to care for you like no one has ever done before. Expanding your
limits and making you want to be more. Having someone that instinctively
knows when you’re scared or hurt. Someone to look out for you and make
the decisions to give you what you need . . . really need, in order to be the
person you can be . . . to hold you when you need to be held, not only when
you want to be held. The right Dom is all about wanting to make you feel
incredible. One from whom you will have no secret when you’re together
intimately. You will share your body and mind with him. That, Courtney, is
what you need and you damn well know it.”
Courtney could not deny how much she needed that. For someone
else to take control for once, so she didn’t have to be doing the worrying
and protecting all the time. To just let go and not think. Not remember. Not
regret. Stop asking the constant ‘what if’ questions.
“I’ll think about it.”
“You better think fast then. He wants you back in training tonight.”
“Well tough. I’ll go back . . . if I go back . . . when I am ready. Not
when the bloody Liege demands!”
She rose and sauntered to the door.
“And only if someone else but Ruark Greer trains me. You can tell
him that for me.”
 Chapter Seven

 
Courtney had just tied her running shoes when her cell phone rang. She ran
her finger over the screen, even though she did not recognize the number.
“Sears.”
“You’re late.”
Courtney’s breath caught in her throat. Her fingers tightened around
the phone and her core flushed with liquid heat, wetting her panties. From
hearing his bloody voice!
“For what?”
“At least you aren’t pretending you don’t know who I am. You know
where you are supposed to be, Courtney.”
“I have not decided whether I am coming back or not.”
“So, does that mean I can expect the full membership and cancellation
fee by the morning, Miss Sears?”
“Look. You know very well I only applied because of the bust. I never
had any intention of remaining in the program or becoming a member.”
“You didn’t? Tell me, Miss Sears, am I misunderstanding something
here? Did you or did you not complete the application form, using all your
own personal information?”
Courtney bit her lip. Shit, shit, shit!
“Answer me.” His voice deepened and she jumped.
“Yes, but it was still done while under cover. I ca . . .”
“Let me make this clear. I run a business, not a welfare organization.
You committed to a financial gain for me when you completed and signed
those application forms. We have already invested time and effort in you.
Therefore, I expect that return to realize. I can’t force you to return here, but
if you don’t, you will pay what you owe me before ten in the morning. If
you don’t, I will hand the matter over to my attorneys.”
“Ruark, you have to list . . .”
“Otherwise, sub, you make sure you walk through these fucking
doors within thirty minutes.”
He abruptly ended the call.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I am so totally screwed!
 She threw her phone on the couch in exasperation. “Who the hell does
he think he is? I will not be ordered around! Fuck! What am I supposed to
do?”
She knew how powerful he was. Even more so when he was crossed.
Lindsey had filled her in on Ruark when she got engaged to Jason. He was
probably so pissed off at them lying to him that she qualified as someone
that crossed him.
She could not afford the bloody membership fee even if she did finish
the damn training program. If she had to pay that sickening amount, her
whole savings account would be gone. Money, she had been saving for six
years. So that she could buy Zoey’s Mom a house.
Courtney looked down at her body. She had intended to go jogging
when he called. She was wearing black Capri sweat pants and a sports bra-
like top with black boy panties and her running shoes. Her hair was drawn
into a ponytail on top of her head. She had already wasted nearly ten of the
thirty minutes and even this early in the evening, she would have to speed
to make it in time. Hopefully the club boat would be at the docks.
“Well, high and mighty Dom. Fuck your dress code. This is as sexy as
I get tonight.”
She grabbed her large leather tote bag, threw it over her shoulder, ran
down the stairs and managed to walk through the into the massive
entertainment room of Club Alpha Cove exactly thirty minutes after
Ruark’s phone call.
Ruark sat at the bar, facing the entrance, and spotted her the moment
she strode through the door. His mouth quirked as he allowed his eyes to
run down her body. She was dressed in running gear and looked sexy as
hell.
She looked around and her eyes fell on Master Quinlan where he was
busy with a demonstration on flogging techniques in the far corner. She
walked toward them and stood silently watching, her arms crossed over her
chest. Her appearance was in total contrast to the other trainees, who stood
only in skirts, bras, and stilettos with their hands behind their backs.
Quinlan noticed her and stopped the demonstration.
“Courtney. What a surprise. Are you here to continue with your
training?”
The club was empty on Wednesdays and they were the only ones
there, except for some of the Doms and Masters practicing techniques.
Ruark could hear every word and he smiled.
“Under duress, yes.”
“Duly noted. You do remember that you are being trained by Ruark,
not me.”
“I told Sloan to inform him that I want another trainer.”
“Sorry sub, he declined the . . . instruction. He’s waiting for you by
the bar.”
Courtney stiffened, realizing she had walked right by him without
even noticing. She was too damn angry to look left or right when she
entered the room.
“Stop wasting time. He is already pissed off at you.” When she still
did not move, he deepened his voice and growled. “Move.”
She huffed, spun around and stomped to the bar. Ruark was hard
pressed to keep the smile from his face at the mutinous expression she had.
She ran up the few stairs to the raised bar and only looked up when she
reached the top. Their eyes clashed and for what seemed like an eternity,
neither of them moved. Then his eyes lowered and slowly looked her over.
When he looked into her eyes again, he slowly raised his eyebrows. She
pressed her lips tighter together, refusing to say anything.
Ruark rose and walked closer holding her gaze. The closer he got, the
smaller Courtney felt. It was the first time she was not wearing heels in his
presence. He reached her, looked down at her and murmured.
“Tiny little mite, aren’t you?”
Her lips pressed together more tightly. His finger pulled at her lower
lip and she gasped, he slipped his finger into her mouth and she saw his
eyes darken. Pushing his finger deeper, his voice was rough and deep.
“Suck.”
Her tongue curled around his finger and she sucked. Her brain reacted
immediately to his Dom’s command. Ruark’s cock slammed to instant
arousal. So hard, in fact, he had to take a deep breath. The sucking motion
around his finger, her tongue curling and caressing around and over the tip
tugged at his cock.
Fuck! He could not wait to feel those hot lips around his cock.
“So, little sub, you don’t want me as your trainer anymore. Did you
really think I would allow you to just brush me off? Or did you
conveniently forget that I am not only your trainer, but also your Dom?
When are you going to own up to what you really want, Courtney? To
surrender to a man, to me. To be taken in hand, releasing your fear and guilt
so you can freely experience everything. To leave control of yourself and
your pleasure to me. Whether you realize it or not, you need the rules to be
laid out for you, my pet, knowing there will be consequences for breaking
them. Keep sucking.”
She lowered her eyes and sucked. She was so damn wet, she could
feel her juices slipping from her pussy. Sucking on his finger made her see
visions of sucking on something else. Something a whole lot larger . . .
longer . . . thicker.
“Soon, my pet.”
Her eyes widened and jumped to his and he chuckled at the blush on
her cheeks. He withdrew his finger slowly from her mouth and brushed the
wet tip all around her lips.
“It seems you did not pay a lot of attention to your training while I
was away. We will have to remedy that. Do you believe this is appropriate
attire for this place, my pet?
“Stop calling me your damn pet. I am not a cat or a dog. It is . . .
derogatory.”
His eyes narrowed.   “I do not appreciate your cursing, Courtney.
From this point, every curse word will induce punishment. ‘My pet’ is an
affectionate term for one’s sub. It is not meant to be derogatory.”
She glared at him and he gave her a long, hard look.   Her eyes
dropped to his chest. That was as low as she was prepared to drop her gaze!
Damn Dom!
“Now, answer my question.”
Courtney had to sift through what was said to remember the question.
Her eyes flared back to his, filled with annoyance. She had to grab hold of
her sweatpants to prevent her fists from slamming onto her hips.
“Thirty minutes! You gave me thirty minutes. I was on my way to go
jog. I barely made it in time. There was no time to change.”
“Let us remedy that then. Strip.”
Her jaw dropped and she looked around.
“A fair warning, sweetheart. I do not like to repeat myself. I said
strip.”
His voice became graveled and deep and she flung her shoulder bag
on top of the bar surface. She kicked her running shoes off and pulled her
ankle socks off, placing them inside the shoes. She picked them up and
placed them on one of the bar stools. Next, she pushed the sweatpants down
and stepped out of them, folding them neatly and placing them on top of her
shoes.
My sub is a neat little thing.
He reached out, pulled at the broad strap of her jogging bra, and let it
go with a snap. She shrieked and glared at him.
“Ouch!”
“That too.”
“I’m not―”
“Now.”
She grabbed the undersides of the top with her arms crossed and
whipped it over her head. First, his eyes were glued to her bobbing breasts,
and then they slowly traced down her body all the way to her dark purple
painted toes and back up.
Pity she was wearing boy panties, but fuck, she was hot.
“Turn around.”
Courtney huffed and turned around.
“Did you say something, Sub?”
“No.”
“No, who?”
“No, Si . . . my Liege.”
The boy panties were cut high and half of her gorgeous ass was bare.
It was made for punishment. He walked forward and palmed both of her
cheeks firmly in his hands. She gasped and her breasts bobbed as he
tightened his grip and pulled upwards until she was teetering on her toes.
She was very aware of the other trainees standing in the corner. Some
of them were watching and she flinched as Ruark pinched her ass harder.
“Touch your tits, sub.”
Courtney whimpered and tightened her thighs.
“This is the last warning, Courtney. From this point on, you do what I
say immediately. I will not repeat myself again. Do it.”
Her hands folded around the undersides of her breasts, her fingers
curling around the full globes.
“Push them higher.”
She pushed them upwards and bit her lips.
“More. Ahh, beautiful. Pinch your nipples.”
 She took her nipples between her thumbs and middle fingers and
squeezed softly.
“Harder, sub and keep pinching harder until I tell you to stop.”
She increased the pressure, until she whimpered in pain. Need gushed
down her core to slither from her pussy. Ruark kneaded her cheeks.
“Please . . .”
“Harder.”
She moaned and her body leaned into his, her head rolled back on his
shoulder, her clit starting to thrill against her panties.
“Keep that pressure, sub and remember, you do not have permission
to come.”
She nodded.
“I can’t hear you.”
“Y-y-yes Sir.”
“Did I give you permission to call me Sir?”
“N-n-no . . . I-I’m sorry, my L-L-Liege. Please . . .!”
“I want some answers, Courtney.”
“Oh no. Not while I . . .”
“Quiet. Do you agree that you have been insolent from the moment
you stepped through those doors?”
“Hmm . . . y-yes, my Liege.”
“Do you agree that you have ignored numerous instructions I have
given you?”
“Y-yes . . . oh please stop.”
“Do you agree that you are inappropriately dressed for this
establishment?”
“Y-y-yes, my Liege.”
“Do you agree that you deserve to be punished, my pet?”
“W-what is this if not punishment?”
“This is discipline. Answer my question.”
“Yes, my L-Liege.”
“Pinch harder Courtney.”
“No. Please I can’t.”
“Harder.” His voice became even rougher and she squeezed, crying
out as the pain lashed directly to her throbbing clit. One hand released her
ass, curled around her hip to steal under her panties, and pushed all the way
down slipping a thick finger deep inside her.
 “Oh god.”
“I’m much closer than he is, sweetheart. Let me help you with this.
You may come at will, sub.”
His finger pumped in and out and he added a second while rolling his
thumb over her aching clit. Courtney trembled and cried out when her inner
muscles snapped like a rubber band breaking in two as she climaxed. She
milked his fingers so tightly that he groaned audibly. He continued rubbing
her clit faster. Dropping his hand from her other cheek, induced another
intense climax to rip through her. Another cry, slightly louder than the first,
echoed through the room.
“Now, my pet . . . you will scream for me when you come again.”
He grabbed her wrists and ripped her fingers from her nipples. Pain
slashed through her as the blood rushed back into them and she screamed.
She climaxed so hard she saw blackness. Bright flashing stars kept her from
losing focus and she went completely slack against him. He wrapped his
arms around her waist and dragged her back against his hard body.
A loud applause and catcalls from the trainees penetrated her fuzzy
brain and she blushed, trying to turn away, but Ruark would have none had
of that. He warned her that he would push her boundaries.
So, there she stood in full view of the other trainees, Doms and Senior
Masters. Breasts heaving and dark red from the punishing pleasure he had
her perform on them. Her body trembled visibly from the multiple climaxes
he had wrung from her in such a short period. Somehow, the knowledge
that those watching had witnessed her uncontrolled climaxes made them
even stronger.
Shit . . . I even enjoyed knowing they were watching!
Ruark leaned down and picked her up in his arms. “Lesley, please
take Courtney’s things to my office.”
“Yes, my Liege.” One of the subs tending the bar picked up her
clothes and bag and walked away. Ruark carried her to one of the couches
and sat down with her on his lap. She struggled, but his arms tightened
around her back.
“Stop.”
Courtney sighed and tried to relax against him. Her nipples still
throbbed and her pussy pulsed.
“Tell me why I disciplined you, Courtney.”
“Damned if I know.”
 His eyes scorched hers, his eyes hard. Her mouth twisted.
“Damned if I know, my Liege.”
“Don’t push me, sub. The night is still young.”
“Because I did not arrive for my training.”
 “And?”
“You had to phone to remind me.”
“Will it happen again, my pet?”
“I . . .”
“Courtney.”
“Well, this is a situation of damned if you do and damned if you
don’t! I am not allowed to lie to you and if I say no, it might be a lie. If I say
yes, I might be disciplined again. So, I plead the 5th.”
Ruark chuckled, “I can see why you have your bosses wrapped
around your little finger. Unfortunately, that is not how it works with me. I
want an answer.”
Ruark looked into her soft violet eyes and recognized her inner
struggle. She was a strong woman, a badass FBI agent, who could kick any
man’s ass. Fuck, even his for that matter. It was not easy for her to let go, to
make concessions or to trust. He saw a glint of fear in the depths of her eyes
and he frowned.
“Are you afraid of me, Courtney?”
“Please. I fight badass assholes every day. Why would I fear you?”
“Rule three, Courtney.”
She searched his eyes. She was afraid. She was damn terrified, but not
of him. Never of him.
“Not of you.”
“Then what?”
“I . . . prefer not to answer that question at this time.” She kept her
eyes lowered and he sighed.
“Very well, I’ll allow it for now, but you will answer my question
before you go home tonight. Here, drink.”
He handed her a bottle of energy water and she swallowed some of it
down. He took it back and with a sharp slap on her ass, ordered her to get
up.
She got up and crossed her arms over her breasts. She caught his eye
and frowned.
“Are you frowning at me, Sub?”
 Her brow immediately relaxed.
“Oh no, my Liege. I wouldn’t dare.”
“I distinctly remember that you were given the correct posture when
in the presence of a Dom, my pet.”
“You . . . expect me to stand like that even if it is just the two of us.”
He did not answer, but his expression was answer enough. He forced
his lips to remain straight when she mumbled.
“Bloody arrogant Dom.”
“Did you say something, my pet?”
“Not a word, my wonderful Liege.”
“Careful, my pet. You are teetering on the edge. I’m waiting.”
She tsk’ed and clasped her hands behind her back. Her breasts jutted
forward.
“Now isn’t that a pretty sight.” He reached out and stroked her
nipples. She hissed.
“How do they feel, little pet?”
“How do you think? They are damn sore!”
“That’s one. Well, let us hope they feel better by the time we get to
the dungeon.”
“T-the dungeon?”
“My memory is still quite good, pet. We agreed on three punishments.
Where did you think I planned on conducting them?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Your office?”
Ruark laughed. “Oh no, little pet. This is not going to be fun-ishment.
This is going to be pure punishment. Which means, no pleasure. But
afterwards . . . who knows.”
He twisted his hand around her ponytail, yanked her head back and
kissed her. Hard, deep and with wild passion. A passion that was
reciprocated with every stroke of her tongue against his.
“Let’s go sub.”
He started walking and she followed him slowly and reluctantly. Her
hands still behind her back.
“How about we do more of that instead? It is pure punishment. I
promise you, I felt no pleasure whatsoever!”
Ruark stopped and she bumped into him. He turned and took her
shoulders in his big hands.
“No pleasure, huh?”
 “Nope.”
“How about this?”
His hand clasped her mound and rubbed her clit, fast and hard
through her panties. Courtney pressed against his hand and bit her lip.
“Absolute torture. No pleasure.”
“Hmm . . . manipulation has no place in a D/s relationship, my pet.
You have just earned yourself another discipline. Do not, I repeat, do not try
to top me from the bottom. Now stop stalling.”
“You will never hear me compliment you again.”
Ruark smiled at her grumbling. Cheeky little sub. She needed to have
her ass flogged and those succulent nipples clamped. Yes, those little Buds
of pleasure were going to hurt for days to come. She responded
magnificently the more pain they were in. She might not realize it, but she
had a bit of masochist in her. Pain increased her pleasure and arousal
exponentially. He could not be happier. He had a little of a sadist in him.
There were times that he enjoyed giving pain, seeing the effect it had on a
woman, smelling her uncontrolled rush of arousal.
He picked up a leather duffel bag that was waiting at the stairs leading
down to the area, which housed the dungeon amongst other things.
“What is that?”
“My toy bag, my pet.”
“Toy bag? Somehow I doubt my definition of toys and yours are the
same.”
He chuckled. “Not to worry, you will be well acquainted with all my
toys by the time your training is complete.”
“Ah yes, then I am to be cast aside and a fresh one takes my place.”
He stopped and turned to her. His eyes glittered like silver shards of
ice and his jaw was clenched. The look he gave her shut her up and she was
tempted to take a step back when he leaned forward. His voice rough and
deep.
“Don’t be so sure of that, little sub. I might just decide to put you on a
leash, spread and cuff you naked to the bar, ready for me to fuck every time
I walk past for months to come. Maybe even years.”
His eyes narrowed at the flash in her eyes.
“Interesting reaction, Courtney. Very interesting indeed.”
 Chapter Eight

 
Fucking Dom! How the devil did he do that? How did he know what she
thought, what she felt? It was eerie. And, yes, she envisioned his threat and
her panties flooded. She was so wet she could feel how soaked her panties
were. Thinking of being spread and cuffed naked to the bar was not what
excited her. It was him fucking her every time he walked past. So hard and
so thoroughly that she would forget about the hundreds of people milling
around.
“If you don’t stop thinking about it, Courtney, you will be tied to that
bar come Friday.”
“Get out of my fucking mind!”
“That’s two.”
She took a deep breath and looked around. They were standing by a
stockade and she blanched. She remembered how utterly helpless she felt
when Quinlan had used her to demonstrate it. This one was a modern
stockade made with a strong stainless steel frame, had adjustable bars and
was well padded.
“Three punishments Courtney. Two of those will be either by way of
a flogging, caning or strapping. As it is the first official punishment I give
you, I will let you choose. Tell me, pet, how many strokes do you believe
you deserve for the two?”
“Wwweelll, maybe . . .”
“I should warn you. I can use both arms equally well. If you give me
some ridiculous number, I will just continue until both my arms are tired.”
“So, if I say six you will say . . .”
“Twenty.”
Her eyes widened. “You . . .”
“Stop procrastinating, Sub. Give me a number.”
“T-twenty?”
He just looked at her. Shit, fucking shit! He really wanted to punish
her!
“T-thirty?”
“Thirty it is then.”
 Choose two . . .  there on the shelf.”
 Courtney walked to the shelf, her knees weak. Oh lord, thirty! Her ass
was on fire for hours after he gave her ten strokes with a paddle. She chose
a flogger with medium length falls and hesitated to choose the other. She
just knew she was not ready for a cane, but the leather straps looked just as
ominous. In the end, she reached for a 3-inch wide leather strap that was
connected to a wooden handle. She turned and handed them to Ruark. He
took them from her and smiled. Unbeknownst to her, she had chosen a high
impact flogger and a medium impact strap.
“Brave girl.”
She stood next to him, her ire rising the longer she waited.
“Courtney, this is a punishment. You have your safeword, but I expect
you to take your punishment and use your safeword only when it becomes
too much for you to handle. However, should you use your safeword, be
assured that I will stop. Make no mistake, little one. This is going to hurt.
Hurt badly. I intend to push your limit as far as I can tonight. I have to.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to know if you really want this . . . need this. And
once I do, I am going to fuck you nonstop for hours. Know that when that
happens, there is no way out for you. You. Will. Be. Mine. But . . . it will
only happen if you beg me to. In front of everyone, naked and cuffed at the
bar.”
She stared at him, her pussy crying with need. Oh fuck! Once again . .
. I am so screwed!
“Take off your panties.”
Her eyes rose to his and she shook her head pleadingly. His eyes
darkened.
“I am growing weary having to repeat instructions, sub. I intend to
save a few strokes for that cunt. Strip.”
With a tiny sob, she pushed her panties down her legs and stepped out
of them. He held his hand out and she handed them to him. He crumbled the
panties and pushed them in his pocket. His eyes moved over her exposed
pussy and he smiled. Her glistening need clear in the dim light.
“I like that your pussy is bare, sub. Keep it that way for me. Open
your legs.”
She took a deep breath and spread her legs slightly.
“Wider . . . more.”
 He took the two steps that separated them and went down on his
haunches between her legs. She felt his heated gaze staring at her pussy and
watched him licking his lips, erotic hunger glowed in his eyes. Courtney
closed her eyes. Oh shit, shit, shit!
“Such a beautiful little cunt, Baby. Really, really beautiful. I can’t
wait to eat you . . . for hours and make you come screaming again and
again.”
“Please . . .”
“Please what, little pet?”
“Please touch me.”
“Ahh, Baby that is what I wanted to hear.”
He leaned forward, licking her pussy with long slow strokes of his
tongue and she mewled in the back of her throat. He circled her clit with the
hard tip of his tongue and she moaned, and then cried out when his lips
closed around it and he sucked. Softly at first, then harder. Her knees
buckled and her thighs trembled with the strain to remain standing.
“Oh Jesus! I am going to . . .”
“You are not allowed to come.”
“Ahh . . . please I . . . nooo . . . don’t stop.”
“Time for your punishment, sub. Up you go.”
She spat a number of curse words as he grabbed her ass cheek and
pushed her toward the stockade.
“That’s seven.”
He helped her onto the stockade and made sure she was comfortable
before he started to strap her in.
“Are you comfortable, my pet?”
“Let’s strap you on one of these and see what your bloody answer is!”
“That’s eight. I am serious, Courtney. You will tell me if the straps
hurt, your muscles cramp or your circulation stops. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“Yes who?”
“Yes Master.”
“You are sorely testing my patience, sub.”
He started to rub her ass in slow circles, then harder and squeezed
both hard. He walked to the shelf and picked up a horse hair flogger. She
watched him flick his wrist as he walked back.
 “I am going to warm your muscles a little first, so the belt is not too
much of a shock. This will not hurt, it will only heat your skin and prevent
bruising. Relax, my pet. Rest your forehead on the pads.”
At first, she hardly felt the strokes it was so soft, then they started to
sting slightly until after a few minutes her whole back, ass and thighs were
warm.
Oh shit! My thighs! That is going to fucking hurt!
“That should do it. I am going to start with the strap. Listen to me,
sub. Try to relax into the strokes and not tighten your muscles. It will lessen
the sting.”
Courtney bit her lip and closed her eyes, her forehead resting on the
triangular pad. She pulled at the straps, but realized she could not move.
“Courtney.”
“Oh, just get the fuck on with it!”
“That’s nine and you just earned an additional ten strokes with the
cane.”
“I-I’m sorry. I’m a little . . .”
“I know, sub. That is still no reason to be disrespectful.”
“Yes Master.”
He smiled. Well aware that she reverted back to Master. She was
deliberately goading him with her sassiness.
“Remember your safeword and know that I will always stop when
you use it. If you really feel you can’t carry on, Courtney, use it. Ready,
Baby?”
She took a deep breath and said in a very, very small voice.
“Go for it. Hit me with your best shot.”
He shook his head and drew his arm back. Courtney did not hear the
swish of the belt as he swung his arm and flicked his wrist, she just felt the
burning pain that engulfed her whole ass.
“Holy shit!”
“Count them, sub!”
“One!”
The second stroke followed as soon as she seemed to relax her cheeks
and she cried out. It was even harder than the first.
“Fuck! What happened to starting easy and working u-up to m-m-
more! Two!”
Smack, smack.
 Courtney shouted. He gave her two strokes in succession. One above
and the other below the first two.
“Oh shit! Three, four!”
The next two were delivered at the line where her ass met her thighs
and she screamed. Her hands fisted and strained against the straps.
“F-f-five, s-s-six.”
He continued in the same format until all Courtney felt was burning
pain and she whimpered.
“Courtney, Baby, breathe through the pain. Relax into it. Come on.
You can do it.”
She nodded and tried to relax her hands, but her head reared up as the
following stroke hit her on her left shoulder and then the right. She
whimpered.
“Oh f-f-fuck! I hate you S-seven, e-e-eight.”
The next two were just below the previous ones a little lower on her
back, careful to avoid the area over her kidneys. Now the strokes rained
over her in random order. She did not know when or where the next would
fall. Ruark allowed her to breathe and then warned her brusquely, “Deep
breath, Sub. This is going to hurt.”
She screamed and cried out as the strap hit her on the back of her legs,
just above her knees.
“Oh p-please. No. Shit. Twenty-six, t-t-twenty s-s-seven.”
Her next scream reverberated through the dungeon as the next two
were higher on her thighs.
“Y-you b-bastard. Twenty-e-eight, t-twenty-nin-ne.”
“Take a deep breath, Courtney.”
“Oh f-f-fuck! Aahhh!”
This time she screamed and a sob tore through her as the final stroke
fell directly on her open pussy. She closed her eyes tight, forcing the tears
back, but they burned furiously behind her eyelids.
“Do you want another or are you going to count that?”
“T-hirt-t-ty.”
Ruark watched her and gently stroked her thigh then walked to the
wall and got the bottle of disinfection spray and efficiently cleaned the
strap.
“Y-y-y-yellow.”
 He stiffened and turned back to Courtney. She was trembling, her face
still resting on the padded cushions.
“Yes, sub.”
“I . . . I . . . please, I need . . .”
“What do you need, my pet?”
“Touch me. P-p-please just t-t-touch me.”
Whatever he expected, it was not the soft desperate need for his
touch. His heart beat so fast, he had to take a deep breath to get his
emotions under control. This woman was getting under his skin. Fuck!
He walked closer and stroked his hands over her shoulders and down
her arms. On the way back up, he detoured to fondle and tweak her breasts.
“Aahhh!”
“Still sore, Sub?”
“Y-yes.”
He allowed his hands to trace down her sides and over her hips,
taking care to avoid the areas he stuck. However, there was one area he
would not avoid. He stroked over her labia and she keened, trying to push
back into his hand, but she could not move. He slipped his finger inside and
immediately another.
“Fuck, my pet! You are so wet! Would you come if I touched your clit
now?”
“Yes. Oh hell, yes.”
He chuckled. “You are not allowed to come. Do you hear me,
Courtney?”
“Nooo.”
She cried out when he slowly circled her clit with his thumb, while he
rolled his fingers inside her. He felt her need further wet his hand as her
inner muscles tightened.
“Do not come.”
“Please.”
“No.”
He stroked his thumb hard on the tip of her clit and she cried out. He
pulled out just as the first ripples of a climax stirred inside her.
“Fuck. I hate you!
“That’s ten.”
She was breathing hard, fury blazing in her eyes when she lifted her
head and glowered at him. She watched him pick up the flogger and she
moaned, dropping her head resignedly back on the cushion.
“Any of us are quite willing to take over, if your arm is tired, Ruark.”
Courtney stiffened and lifted her head. There were at least four Doms
and four Senior Masters leaning against the wall, watching and, of course,
the Training Master, Quinlan was there as well. She was mortified and
yanked at the straps. Ruark’s hand on her knee calmed her.
“Thank you for the offer, Quin, but this is my punishment to give.
And as you very well know, I can use both arms. It is highly unlikely I will
tire easily.”
“You gonna safeword out, Courtney? Ruark swings a mean flogger.”
She chose to clench her teeth rather than answer.
“Master Quinlan asked you a question, sub.”
“I choose to refrain from answering, lest my response induces
additional punishment . . . Master.”
The hesitation was deliberate and Quinlan watched the gentle smile
on Ruark’s lips.
“Well, I’ll be damned!”
Ruark looked at him and frowned. “Who is covering training if all of
you are standing around here?”
“Oh, we gave them a scene to plan and prepare. The moment we
heard that last scream, we just knew we had to come and watch.”
Courtney groaned.
“Please no. Send them away. Please.”
“Hmm . . . I think not. Are you ready, Baby?”
Quinlan’s eyes widened. Baby? He had never heard Ruark call a sub,
or any woman for that matter, ‘Baby’. He did not even use the universal
term of affection of ‘my pet’ for subs. He only ever called them ‘sub’.
“As fucking rain, Master.”
The Doms and Senior Masters laughed at her answer and even Ruark
smiled. My little sub was a brave little mite!
“That’s eleven. Remember what I said, sub. Relax and breathe
through it. You are already well warmed up, so you’ll be able to take this
easily.”
This time she heard the swish of the falls and try, as she might, could
not relax. Every muscle in her body tensed. However, she nearly started
laughing at the slow and easy swings and thudding of the flogger against
her skin.
 It felt as if he was caressing her skin with each stroke and her skin
sizzled. Every nerve ending coming to life, awakening her throbbing clit
and pulsing pussy.
Holy shit! If he carries on like this, I am going to climax . . . hard!
“Count, sub.”
“F-five.”
He continued down her body and Courtney wailed as need slammed
through her with his continued caressing strokes.
“Nine, t-ten. Damn you! What are you doing?”
Ruark did not respond, only chuckled. Enjoying her writhing body
against the bench. He was well aware that his punishment had turned into
an erotic scene, but enjoyed watching her arousal too much to stop.
He flogged her in the form of a figure eight, starting at the one
shoulder. The thud, thud, thud raining on her sensitized skin, pushing her to
a level of lethargy and she sighed into the bench. She still felt the strokes
and they stung just that little bit, but the sensations of need and building
pressure inside her core was all that pulsed inside her brain. Her whole
existence reveled in every thud that triggered a flush of heat trickling down
her thighs until all she could think of was the next stroke, the next sting.
The next flush of pleasure.
“Do not come. Brace yourself, Baby.”
She heard the swish and then wailed, trying to get away from him as
he gave her two successive strokes on her open pussy.
“F-fuck, fuck. J-Jesus!” She screamed as she clenched her pussy
muscles tight to keep her climax back.
“Count.”
“Twenty-s-six, twenty-seven.”
The swish came immediately and Courtney screamed so loud her
voice gave out, primal need galloping through her core. He had just given
her the last three caressing strokes on her open pussy.
“F-fuck-king b-bastard!”
“Count them, sub, or I continue.”
“Twenty e-eight, twenty n-nine, t-thirty.”
“Good girl.”
“I h-h-hate you . . . ooohhaaargg!”
The need that had been building became just too much and Courtney
could no longer hold back. The coil inside of her snapped and a slow
curling climax crept up her spine to snap and her pussy contracted furiously.
The Doms and Senior Masters all applauded. Ruark knew it was not
in lieu of his skill with the flogger, rather for Courtney, who took her
punishment very bravely. 
He chuckled again, knowing they would haggle him incessantly for
giving her an erotic flogging rather than a punishing one. Watching her
climax so uncontrollably was worth it though.
Quinlan approached Courtney and stroked her hair out of the way.
“Damn girl, I am proud of you. You did well. You did very, very
well.”
She did not lift her head, only nodded in acknowledgement. Her
shoulders shook as she battled to bring her still clamping pussy under
control. Quinlan stepped back as Ruark walked closer, having cleaned the
flogger already.
He caressed her shoulders and arms and then cupped her breasts. He
leaned down and kissed her softly on her neck. She whimpered and a sob
trembled though her body.
“How do your arms and legs feel? No cramping?” He massaged them
as he asked the question.
She shook her head. He covered her fisted hands and rubbed them
slowly. “Open for me, Baby.”
She opened her hands and he massaged her fingers tenderly, and then
kissed her on her neck again.
“You still have ten strokes of the cane to go, sub. We can leave the
caning until Friday or do it now.”
 “Are you going to allow me to come tonight?”
He looked at her, but she did not lift her head. Walking around to the
front of her, he went down on his haunches.
“Courtney, look at me.”
She lifted her head slowly and his breath hitched in his throat. Even
with her teary eyes and blotched skin, she was beautiful.
“Maybe. I have not decided yet. But then . . . you already had one,
didn’t you?” He watched her eyes flare and anger glittered in their depths.
Ahh, his little badass FBI girl is still there. And she really, really
needed to come again.
He knew the moment she climaxed, but decided to let it go and not
punish her for disobeying him. He could smell her arousal and saw her
juices flow freely from her cunt after the strokes on her pussy.
She rested her chin on the cushioned triangle and looked at him.
“What can I do to turn your maybe into a yes?” She asked in a soft
whisper. He stroked his finger down her cheek, his face hard and chiseled.
The adrenaline of the sadist in him had stilled, as though it did not need to
be fed anymore and Ruark realized he had reached a turning point in his
life. Where the needs of this sweet sub became more important than his
own.
“Take your caning now.”
She closed her eyes. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” She
took a deep breath. “Ten strokes?”
He nodded and so did she. “Okay then, but it had better be fucking
multiple orgasms!”
He laughed and leaned forward to capture her lips in a savage kiss.
Quinlan gaped at Ruark. Fuck, the man is nearly normal again!
“That’s twelve.”
“Are you going to hit my pussy again?”
He stroked her hair. “Yes, Baby. I am. I need your promise that you
will use your safeword if it becomes too much for you.”
“I . . . I . . .”
“Your promise, sub.” His voice hardened and he frowned at her.
“I promise.”
He rose, walked to the rack, picked up a long cane and snapped it in
the air a few times. He put it back and picked up a slightly thinner one to
test it as well. Courtney dropped her head down and gripped the handles.
“You don’t need to count this time. Ready, my pet?”
“N-no.” She was panting and her back expanded desperately with
each breath. She took a deep breath, “Remember, my Liege. You promised
multiple climaxes.”
The first stroke snapped over her ass and she strained her neck with a
low moan as he caressed the spot with the cane, feeding the warmth
filtering into her core, then the next and the next. He set a rhythm of light
love pats until her back, ass and thighs were throbbing with heated arousal.
“Deep breath, Baby.”
The final two were swift pats on her pussy and she wailed as her clit
strummed violently, on the verge of exploding.
“Oh god . . . oh god . . . oh god!”
 Then his mouth was between her legs and his tongue surged inside
her pussy, his fingers scissoring around her clit.
“Come at will, Baby.”
Ruark speared his tongue as deep as he could go, twirling it around
her soft inner walls then he started sucking. Long, deep and passion induced
tugs at her pulsing softness, which eradicated any thoughts that could have
hovered in her mind. She exploded with a near primal cry. He groaned
hoarsely as her pussy milked his tongue.
He opened his mouth wider over her weeping cunt and sucked harder,
pressing directly on the top of her clit with his fingers and she wailed as she
came again and again. He was merciless and kept eating her for what felt, to
her, like hours. Her labia were swollen and throbbing from his punishment,
which increased her sensitivity, her uncontrolled reaction to his mouth on
her, inside her.
Courtney struggled to breathe. Repeated explosions crippled her in
searing waves of pleasure. He pressed his mouth harder into her, eliciting a
low and husky whine to reverberate from her throat as her body shuddered
once again, from her toes, all the way to the top of her head. Her ribs were
painful from the hard and continuous pounding of her heart. She was
boneless, just slumped on the stockade like a ragdoll.
She did not even know that Quinlan had untied the straps the moment
Ruark had taken possession of her pussy. Or that he had ushered the
protesting Doms and Senior Masters away with him after a while.
Damn. I wonder if Ruark will share her with me. Quinlan could not
prevent the thought that flashed through his mind, witnessing her
uncontrolled submission. They had shared subs in the past. There were not
many things that could beat a soft, sensual body sandwiched between best
friends. This time, he was not so sure. Ruark was different with her. More
possessive. Still sadistic, yet tender at the same time. He had never been
like that with any other woman. Not even his ex-wife.  Baby? My pet?
Unbelievable.
Ruark fetched some arnica from a drawer and started to smooth the
cream all over her back, ass, legs and pussy. He made sure to cover all areas
he had punished and added a second layer over her pussy. He cleaned his
hands and tenderly assisted Courtney from the stockade. She sighed into his
body when he lifted her in his arms. Quinlan was back and draped a soft
blanket around her. Ruark nodded at him and carried her up the two sets of
stairs into his office. He sank down on the couch and took the two bottles of
energy water from him.
“Thanks Quin.”
He nodded and sauntered off with a smile. Courtney moaned again
and tried to find relief from the pressure against her still blazing back and
ass. He opened the bottle of water and folded her hands around it. She drank
thirstily. Ruark sank down lower on the couch and turned her on her side,
taking the empty bottle from her and placing it on the side table. She
wrapped her arms all the way around his back and bunched his shirt in her
fists. He kissed her forehead and she snuggled closer. With slow brushes, he
caressed her arm and legs until she went completely slack against him and
fell asleep. His arms tightened around her and he leaned his head on top of
hers.
This little slip of a woman touched him like no one had before. He
had not been in any type of relationship since his divorce, except for short-
term D/s arrangements. They were always short because the sub ended up
wanting permanency, commitment. Neither of which he was prepared to
offer. He hardly knew her, but with her . . . for the first time his future
winked and she filled every vision. In his arms . . . with a baby in hers.
I am so screwed!
There was a long way to go though. Tonight, had proven to him that
she was strong enough to be the woman he needed in his life. To give him
what he craved, just as he could give her what she craved and needed. He
chuckled acknowledging that she was far from being a perfect sub, or even
a decent one. Until then . . . he would enjoy her . . . all of her.
His thoughts redirected to the question he had seen in Quinlan’s eyes.
One he had deliberately chosen to ignore. They had shared subs in the past,
as had he and Bracus. He was not so sure he wanted to or would even be
able to share Courtney with either of them.
He shut his mind to all the thoughts and pretty soon, his body relaxed
as he too fell asleep. His arms wrapped around Courtney, holding her tight.
 Chapter Nine

 
Courtney sank down into the warm bubble bath with a contented sigh and
then hissed when her ass and back settled against the marble. Fuck, that
hurt! But the climaxes he gave her afterwards were so worth it. God, she
had never been eaten out so completely and so long. It was as if he was a
starved man and could not get enough of her.
She closed her eyes and recalled waking up in his arms with a small
start. She was sprawled on top of him and his arms were wrapped around
her. His breathing was deep and slow and she knew he was sleeping. She
kept still for a while to savor the heat of his hard body and arms around her.
A glance out of his office windows showed only dim lights were on below,
which meant it was very late and everyone must have left already. She
untangled herself from his arms with utmost care, found her clothes on his
desk and dressed quickly, watching the gorgeous sleeping man all the time.
Courtney gingerly moved her shoulders and winced, the feeling that
had clamped around her heart when she looked at him returned in full force.
She wanted him. God, did she want him. What scared the living daylights
out of her and had her tear down the stairs and into the shuttle, which thank
the lord was still there, was that she realized she wanted all of him. Not just
his body and the pleasures he could offer.
She wanted him.
In her life.
Forever.
She sighed wearily and rolled her neck along the edge of the tub. Yeah
right. Not going to happen. Not as long as she was an FBI agent. Not as
long as there was even a remote chance that he could be hurt because of her
job. And she loved her job. Loved the challenges, the thrill and the
adrenaline rush when they made a bust. Tears formed in her eyes when she
remembered the words Zoey’s Mom had said to her two years ago.
“Time heals all wounds, lovey. You have to let go. Find peace. Find
love. Life is too short to live without it. No job is worth the loneliness you
are living. You deserve to be happy and have someone to love. Zoey would
have wanted that for you. She always said you were so alive, so pure. Be
what she needed you to be, lovey.”
Sloan and Hagan chuckled when Courtney lowered herself carefully into
the chair in front of their desks.
“Fuck off! It is not bloody funny!”
“I am going to inform your Dom that his sub is disrespectful to Senior
Masters and that her foul mouth needs to be cleaned.”
“Gmphf. See if I care. He has no say over me outside of that bloody
club.”
“Says she who can barely sit on her ass. Quin tells me you took quite
a beating last night. Earned everyone’s respect big time. Of course, we
would have loved to have been witness to the feast Ruark had after the
caning.”
“Fuck off twice, dickhead!  Argh.”
She winced as she jumped up from the chair and every muscle
twitched. They laughed and Sloan called after her.
“Where are you going, Agent Sears? We have to talk about the court
case.”
“I am going to find someone to shoot! Care to be a target?”
“Hell no! We are meeting Ruark for lunch. Any message for him?”
 They roared with laughter when she flung him a finger and stomped down
the hallway.

“Quin tells us you did not hold back on our agent last night, Bud. Poor little
thing could barely sit this morning.”
A satisfied smile curved around Ruark’s lips. They were having lunch
at the X2O Xaviar’s on the Hudson.
“You’re a fucking sadist!”
“Never denied it. My sub is too sassy for her own good sometimes.
She dared to try and negotiate with me.”
“I can just imagine. Only message she sent you was a finger in the air
as she stomped off.”
“Hmm . . . she might need some discipline in decorum while in
public.”
Sirens and squealing of tires drew their attention outside. They got up
and went out to the balcony just as a black Camaro screeched around the
corner to crash into the lamppost just past the restaurant. Two FBI vehicles
screeched to a halt a few yards from it. The moment they got out of the
vehicle the two perpetrators starting shooting. One of the agents, already in
front of the vehicle, went down. The other three agents returned fire, but
they could not get any hits from the direction they were shooting. The
suspects were in a much better position and a second agent went down with
a bullet in his thigh.
Sloan and Hagan pulled their guns just as another FBI vehicle came
careening around the corner. The driver maneuvered directly onto the
pavement, squeezed between a concrete pillar and an iron post on the side
of the road, to come to a screeching halt. Much closer than the other two
vehicles. The perpetrators immediately started shooting as the door opened.
All three men cursed when Courtney jumped out, slammed the door shut
and rolled low to sit in front of the wheel.
They could hear her hiss when her ass hit the ground and her furious
mumble as she lifted her ass and sat on her haunches.
“Fucking Dom!”
Courtney already had her gun in her hands. She cursed as she noticed
the agent lying on the ground, right in the line of fire. He was breathing
heavily and it appeared that he had been hit in the neck, where the blood
was flowing freely.
“That damn woman is giving me grey hair!” Sloan mumbled as they
watched her move slowly to the front of the vehicle that was facing the
restaurant. From their crouching position, they could not dare shoot for fear
of other people inside the restaurant getting hit. Most of them were huddled
inside, but a stray bullet in their direction was too dangerous to chance. The
moment her head appeared in front of the vehicle a bullet slammed into the
pavement in front of her. She jerked back and wiped at her cheek. Ruark
saw the blood on her hand and his veins nearly exploded. He felt helpless.
There was no way to reach her. The door of the restaurant was closer to the
criminals than she was.
“Hey Bozo! Are you interested in some target practice lessons?”
“Fuck Sears! Don’t piss them off further!” Sloan was furious. A shot
shattered the window above her and she covered her head.
“You fucking bitch! I am going to fucking enjoy jamming a knife up
your cunt and ripping it in two!”
“Ooh! Kinky! Shall I take my panties off now?”
Sloan groaned and Ruark growled, but kept quiet, not wanting to
break her focus. She was evaluating the area as she threw jabs at the guy.
Another shot shattered the back window and she ran to the back wheel.
“Smithy, are you okay?”
“Not d-doing so g-great here, B-boss.”
“Fuck! Hang in there, Buddy. We’ll get you to the hospital.”
Courtney turned and slowly lowered onto her stomach and lay down
in line with the wheel. She had her gun in both hands and rolled over
squeezing the trigger. One of the suspects screamed and fell as the bullet
crashed into his shin, another shot shattered the shoulder of his shooting
arm before he completely hit the ground. She kept rolling and got into a
crouched position at the front wheel again.
“You don’t know who you are fucking dealing with, cunt!  That was
my brother you just shot! You will fucking pay for that!”
Courtney noticed one of the other agents inching toward the injured
Smithy and she yelled at him.
“No! Get the fuck back!”  But he kept bearing forward and Courtney
heard the shuffling of feet where the perpetrators were and knew he was
going to be killed. He was an open target. She ran, barely registering her
name being furiously yelled behind her. She nearly reached him, when she
heard the click of the bullet leaving the barrel and she dived forward.
The bullet hit her on her left shoulder and she was flung forward,
flattening the agent.
“Oh Fuck. Sears! I am so sorry, Boss. BOSS!”
“Don’t move.” She grinded on her teeth, still clasping her gun. She
could barely move, her whole left side felt paralyzed and pain ripped
through her. Thank the lord she had taken the time to put her vest on. She
heard the scrunch of the offender’s boots as he came running, then a shot
rang out from behind them. Then silence. She looked back and saw him
lying on the ground, out cold. She took shallow panting breaths, trying to
breathe through the pain as Ruark taught her the night before. She started
crawling toward Smithy and moaned with every step.
“Smithy? Are you still with me, Buddy?”
“Y-yes Boss. I m-must s-say, that was o-one very irresponsible m-
move you just pulled.”
“I couldn’t fucking agree more!”
The next moment she was lifted carefully into massive strong arms
and she groaned painfully. She looked up into furious, yet concerned silver
eyes.
 “Ruark? What are you doing here?”
“Having lunch with Sloan and Hagan.”
“Ah, yes. They mentioned something like that. Sorry to have
interrupted your meal. I’ll try to direct the perps in a different direction next
time.”
“Next time, stay out of the line of fire! Where was your head,
woman?”
“Agent Sears, you seem to have forgotten FBI protocol during a
shooting.” Sloan glowered at her, yet there was equal concern in both his
and Hagan’s eyes.
“Ugh . . . why do I have to be so punished in life? Put me down,
Ruark. I am fine.”
He reluctantly lowered her legs to the ground, but kept his arm around
her waist. She untied the vest and he helped her pull it from her shoulders.
They looked at the bullet buried in the vest and she felt cold all of a sudden
and shivered. The dangers of her job had become more and more prominent
as of late. Sloan glared at her.
“Happy now, Sears? You got to shoot someone. Now go home! And I
don’t want to see you back at the office until Monday.”
“But . . .”
“Go home, Courtney!”
She huffed, and turned away, but the paramedic got hold of her and
was adamant to look at her shoulder. She was painfully aware of Ruark’s
brooding look upon her the entire time. She had a suspicion he was going to
demand to take her home and she did not have the strength for that. To be
completely alone with him. It would be too much after the intensity of the
shooting.
She managed to slip away when he turned to talk to Sloan. Ruark was
livid when he turned back and Courtney had disappeared. The feeling that
rushed through him when that bullet slammed into her was something he
never wanted to feel again. His little sub had crawled into his heart and she
was going to stay there. He must find a way to get her to allow him to take
control of her, to care for and protect her. And not just at the club.
But he knew. He knew that as long as she was with the FBI that
would never happen.
Courtney had just finished her dinner of pasta Alfredo when her phone
rang. This time she knew it was Ruark. She had saved his number after his
call the previous day. She swiped to answer and her voice was husky when
she said his name.
“How are you feeling, Baby?”
Her heart fluttered at the endearment. “I’m fine, just a bit bruised.”
“We are going to talk about your irresponsible behavior today, my pet.
Make no mistake about it.”
“Oh please. Not you too. I am already in for a huge brush over from
Sloan and Hagan.”
“I believe my talk will carry more weight.”
“Wha . . . what do you mean?”
“We’ll discuss it at the club. I want to do a scene with you and you
owe me an answer.”
Courtney groaned. “Could we not perhaps skip the punishment in
acknowledgement of my bruised shoulder?”
He chuckled. “I am not going to go near your shoulder, my pet, so no,
we will not. Tomorrow night’s theme party is Country and Western, so dress
accordingly please.”
“Ehm . . . what is club wear for a sub on Country and Western night?”
“I am sure you will come up with something, but let me give you fair
warning, my pet. I want to see a lot of skin and boobs. If you are covered up
too much . . . I will strip you.”
“You . . . are such a . . .”
“Careful, my pet. And, Courtney . . . no panties. I want that pussy of
yours open and available to me at all times.” Whereby he abruptly ended
the call.
Whatever made her listen to those idiot bosses of hers to suggest the
bloody training program in the first place? That man was going to drive her
crazy. Her aching pussy was in full agreement. Just thinking of the previous
night, she was so aroused she could scream. She lay back on the couch and
lowered her hand beneath her panties to stroke her clit. She bit her lip. Her
cell phone beeped.
Ruark: “You do not have permission to come, Sub.”
Shit! She ripped her hand from her panties and sat upright. Did the
damn man have Superman vision?
Courtney: “Neither do you, Dom.”
 Ruark barked out a laugh at her cheeky response.
Ruark: “Don’t worry, my pet. I am saving it all for you. I am going to
fuck you so hard and so long, you will not be able to walk.”
Instantaneously, a rush of liquid need drenched her panties. She
groaned and buried her face in her hands. She did not move for a while.
Then she sighed and called Lindsey.
“Hi Sis. I’ve been meaning to call. I worry when I don’t hear from
you. Especially after such a big bust. You know how you get all
withdrawn.”
“I’m fine worrywart. How is the thesis going?”
Lindsey sighed heavily. She was busy with her thesis for her doctorate
in child Psychology.
“Not so good. But that’s only because I chose such a difficult and
controversial topic to begin with. I’m considering changing it. Not too
many people are prepared to openly talk about child abuse and pedophiles.
Especially victims. It has and will always be something people try to hide
and forget, rather than expose. If only they could realize how much it would
help others if they had better insight into what to look out for and what to
do in similar situations.”
“I have faith in you, dimple face. Hang in there.”
“Sooo, big sis. Will we see you at the C & W tomorrow night?”
Courtney smiled and shook her head. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t
you?”
“You don’t even want to know. I’ve been trying to get you to come
with us for years.”
“That’s the reason for my call. I’ve been instructed to dress
appropriately. What does that mean?”
“Don’t worry. I have the perfect outfit for you! I have a few C & W
outfits. We’ll pick you up and I’ll help you dress.”
“Not going to work. I’m a trainee remember? I have to be there by
six. Besides, I have been instructed to stay at home tomorrow, so . . .”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“Chillax. Goodness, you are all going like sooo overboard lately. Just
a small altercation with some trash earlier today. But I’m fine. Sloan just
overreacted because Ruark was having lunch with them when it happened.”
“I’ll talk to Ruark and get the truth from him. Somehow I don’t think
you are telling me the whole story.”
 “So, how about you come for lunch and bring the outfit tomorrow?
I’ll make lasagna.”
“Only if you make enough so I could take some home. No one makes
lasagna like you.”
“Deal.”
 Chapter Ten

Quinlan looked over the trainees, who were having cocktails at the bar,
waiting on him. Courtney was the center of attention and looked smoking
hot. She wore a tattered black skirt that had a waistband that sat low around
her hips, with strands of leather that fell to her ankles. Every time she
moved, the strands separated and every inch of skin was exposed, from her
hip to her knee-high stiletto boots. To hold up her fishnet stockings, she
wore purple garters that peeked out naughtily as she walked. Fuck, she was
not wearing panties. Probably on order from her Liege.
A purple shelf bra with black lace trim, which barely covered her
breasts, was worn under a black leather vest that gaped open in the front.
She wore a purple smoky eye shadow that looked mysterious and sexy as
hell. A black cowboy hat sat on her head.
Ruark was a bloody lucky bastard!
“Trainees, welcome to your first Country and Western Rodeo night.”
He wore a pair of black jeans with leather chaps tied around his
muscled legs, boots and a black leather vest that hung open, revealing his
impressive chest and abs. Courtney glanced around and noticed that the
other Senior Masters wore the same outfits. Some wore a yellow badge,
which indicated they were the assigned to be a Club Monitor for the
evening. They moved around the club observing scenes to ensure that safety
was practiced throughout. They would intervene if they felt a Dom was
abusing his power or ignoring his sub’s distress.
She had noticed Ruark was in his office when she arrived, conducting
a meeting with some of the Senior Masters and they were still there.
“Tonight, you will be expected to serve the guests as bar staff. I’m
going to divide you into three groups and different time zones. Subs, you
will all wear white collars around your necks, which identifies you as a
trainee. Any Dom, who would like to play with you, will need my
permission, so ensure you bring him to me first. Any Senior Master,
however, has the right to include you in a scene or demonstration of his
choice, even play with you.
“Trainee Doms, you similarly will wear white biceps bands for the
same purposes. You, however, may approach any of the Club subs and
invite them to do a scene with you. Club subs all wear pink chokers.
 “One thing I wish to make very clear, subs. In this club a sub never,
and I mean never, approaches a Dom or a Master to initiate play. It is
always the Dom or the Master’s choice. A sub may, however, decline an
invitation at any time. Is that clearly understood?”
“Yes, Master Quinlan.” They answered in unison. He started handing
out the chokers and bands. Courtney frowned at him when he walked past
without handing her one.
“Don’t even bother asking, sub. You will be waitressing, for two
hours, in the first session. Ah, I see Ruark is finished with his meeting. Off
you go. He is waiting for you. Make sure you are back here by seven
thirty.”
A quick glance at the clock and she smiled. Thirty minutes was not
enough for him to punish her . . . she hoped, and she was off the hook for a
few hours at least.
Ruark watched her as she approached his office with long, confident
strides. His breath hitched in his throat. He was sitting on the couch facing
the door and he could see her clearly. The leather strips of the skirt swished
and opened as she walked, showing off her beautiful bare pussy. Something
of which she was very aware, as she kept one hand in front of her. Her
breasts bobbed with every step above the very low cut shelf bra.
She entered his office and stopped just inside the door. Their eyes
met. His face was inscrutable, hard and his eyes glittered over the distance.
“Where are your hands supposed to be sub?”
“Sorry, Si . . . Master.”
Hmm . . . still pissed at him. He watched her breasts push forward as
she folded her hands in the small of her back.
“Open that skirt. I want to see if you obeyed me.”
She hesitated and frowned at him, but the slight narrowing of his eyes
warned her not to push him. Her hands returned to the front and she
separated the skirt by drawing the leather strips apart, exposing her naked
pussy to him. His eyes were drawn there and stayed. He just sat watching
her for a long while.
“Come here, sub. Don’t drop that skirt.”
She walked closer and stopped a step from him. His eyebrows rose.
“Closer, sub. Place your feet on either side of mine.”
Courtney stepped closer and looked down. His legs were spread wide
open. She would be spread open like a Sunday buffet if she took that
position. Her eyes flashed at him. His voice was deep and rough.
“Do I have to repeat the instruction, sub?”
“No, Master.”  She placed first one foot beside his and then the other.
She had to bend her knees to accommodate the width between her feet and
groaned at her straining thigh muscles.
“Now isn’t that a pretty picture? You may place your hands on my
shoulders, sub. I don’t want you to lose your balance and topple on your
ass.”
She leaned forward to do as he instructed and gasped when he stroked
his warm palm up and down her exposed and soaked pussy.
“So wet already. Shall we see if I can make it even wetter before your
shift starts, little sub?”
“Oh lord. No, please don’t.”
Ruark’s big hand reached between her legs and grazed one finger
down the crack between her buttocks, drawing his finger lazily around the
soft skin of her puckered hole. She gasped at the sensations that rushed, like
a bolt of lightning, to her clit. Ruark watched her and smiled, please with
himself. He brought his hand forward and gently stroked and kneaded her
thighs, always stopping just before reaching her pussy. His avoidance
caused her clit to throb worse than had he actually touched her.
A sharp nip at her thigh elicited a yelp that turned into an immediately
moan as arousal sizzled like an electric current directly to her pussy. His
mouth, hot and wet, moved higher, flicking his tongue over her skin,
drawing circles on her quivering thigh. Her clit throbbed as if it had a heart
of its own, desperate for him to go higher, causing her legs to tremble and
she dug her nails into his shoulders. A heated whisper brushed over her clit
as he lifted his head, and she could not stifle the whimper that escaped her
lips.
Squeezing her legs, his fingers dug into the soft flesh, his thumbs
grazed the crease between her legs and hips. He was so close, so very close
to her aching folds.
“I can smell your arousal, my pet,” he said. “You’re so wet, you’re
dripping, my pet.”
Tell me something I don’t know. 
Ruark looked at the juices that glistened between her swollen folds
and feathered his fingertips over them.   Courtney’s body trembled in
reaction, she could feel the dampness seeping from between her folds and
knew she was swollen. She closed her eyes, willing him to touch her. His
large hands folded around her hips and he eased her back.
“That should do it, my pet.” He stood up as soon as she straightened
and towered over her. Her glare incinerated him as he smiled, running his
finger down her rosy cheek. “Do you know how beautiful you are, Baby?”
His eyes captured hers and he searched her eyes. “Now, let me look at
this outfit.” He stepped back and walked around her, his body fully heated
by the time he returned to her front.
“I like, sub. Except . . . these tits of yours are covered too much. Lose
the vest, my pet.”
Courtney hesitated and he snapped.
“Now.”
“My Liege, I have a massive black bruise on my back from the bullet.
Others might associate that with something you did.”
He reached for her and removed the vest and turning her. A low growl
reverberated through him. Courtney gasped when he leaned down and
delicately kissed her silky skin where the bruise was harsh and dark. Then
she felt his hands at the back of her bra as he unclipped it and pulled it from
her body. He held the vest open, for her to slip her arms back in, before he
turned her to face him. She looked down her front and frowned at him. Her
nipples were not even covered by the gaping front. Did the man not realize
she had to play waitress for two hours?
He dug something out of his pants pocket and she realized he was
wearing the same outfit as the Senior Masters. He lowered his head and
pulled her nipple into his mouth. She moaned and clutched his biceps. He
lifted his head and looked at her with hard eyes.
“Where should your hands be, sub?”
She bit her lip and clutched her hands behind her back. “Keep them
there.” His head lowered again to pull and suck her nipple.
“Hmm . . . that should do it.”
He took her nipple between his fingers and her breath caught when
she noticed the clover nipple clamp. She cried out when he clamped it
around her puckered nipple. He gently stroked the underside of her breast.
“Breathe, sub. Breathe through the pain.”
His head lowered and he pulled and sucked at the other nipple until it
stood long and pulsed with need. The pain shot through her as he clamped
the other breast.
 “Bloody hell. That hurts.”
“That’s thirteen. Breathe through it, sub.”
Courtney did as instructed and eventually the sharp pain reduced to a
dull throb. She looked down and moaned. The clamps made her nipples
stand out even more. There was a chain, which hung just below her navel,
connecting the clamps.
“I believe you are now ready to start your shift as waitress, sub.”
“H-how long do I have to wear these?”
“I’ll decide after your shift is over. Don’t worry. Quinlan has
instructions to remove them regularly for blood flow purposes, but then
they go back on.”
Her horrified eyes lifted to his. “You’re going to make me wear them
for two hours?”
“Are you questioning me, sub?”
“No Sir.”
He did not move, but his eyes were hard. She refused to amend her
answer. His mouth twisted slightly. He leaned closer and whispered against
her mouth.
“I was hoping you would be insolent at some point during the
evening, my pet, and you did not disappoint me.”
“Why?”
“Because now I have a reason to cuff you naked on that bar.”
“No. Please. I am sorry.”
“Even in your apology you are disrespectful.”
“I . . .”
“Quiet! Master Quinlan has permission to spank you for every minute
you are late for you shift. If I were you, I’d get moving.”
“You bastard!”
“Thank you, sub. Your punishment has just been sealed.” His eyes
darkened and glittered, his voice gravelly stern. This time she spun around
and walked with long strides out of his office, groaning as the clamps
tightened to remind her of the torture that was in store for her for the next
few hours. She glanced at the large clock on the wall and realized she was
already seven minutes late. Fucking Dom! He kept her and now she gets
punished.
Quinlan stood waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, watching her
bobbing breasts as she stomped down the stairs. He bit his smile back and
evened out his expression.
“You’re late. That is unacceptable, sub, and you should know that.
You are exactly eight minutes late, which means eight swats, adding two for
not adhering to the correct posture, you are due ten swats. Follow me.”
She clasped her hands behind her back and groaned when her nipples
protested as the clamps tightened around them. Quinlan sat down in the
middle of one of the couches and indicated his lap. She stood looking at
him.
“This is so unfair. He kept me and now I get punished.”
“Another minute just passed, so it is now eleven. Are you aiming for
fifteen, sub?”
She stepped closer and lay down over his thighs. Quinlan grabbed her
hips and pushed her forward so that her ass pointed upwards. He brushed
the leather strips away and stroked her ass. He chuckled when he noticed
she was naked beneath the skirt.
“Ready sub?”
The first smack burned on her ass before he finished the question and
she bit her lip. He alternated from one cheek to the other, up and down her
ass. By the time he was finished, her  buttocks were on fire and she
swallowed hard. Her lip was swollen from biting it to keep from crying out.
Asshole! She refused to give him the satisfaction.
She tried to rise, but Quinlan pressed his hand on her back to keep her
in place. Courtney felt his presence before he went down on his haunches
next to her head. He gently lifted her face with his fingers under her chin.
Ruark’s eyes glittered and he scowled when he noticed her swollen lip.
Tugging her lip down, he cursed when he saw the broken skin.
“What do you have to say to Master Quinlan, sub?”
“I a-am sorry I was late for my s-shift and I did not walk in the correct
posture, Master Quinlan.”
“Apology accepted, sub.”
“Now, give her five more, for damaging her lip. This time, sub, he
will continue until I hear sounds coming from those delectable lips of
yours.”
“You . . .”
“Continue, Quin and make it worth my while for staying.”
Quinlan took Ruark’s request to heart and wacked her so hard, she
screamed by the third one. She panted and trembled when he pulled her
upright. “Do you have something to say to our Liege, sub?”
Her eyes rose to his and he enjoyed the fire that flashed in their
depths. His voice was soft, but deadly.
“Think before you speak, sub. We are in a public area.”
She took a deep breath, realizing the implication of being
disrespectful in front of everyone to their revered Liege.
“I am sorry for biting and damaging my lip . . .  Master.”
He nodded, trailing a searing look up and down her body, his eyes
hesitating for a moment on her straining nipples. Then he turned and
walked away.
“Hmhmmhm . . . such a hot ass . . . my Liege.”
He froze. Courtney spun around and nearly ran to the bar, Quinlan’s
laughter following her. She felt Ruark’s gaze burn into her back. She only
turned to look at him once she stood next to the bar. His silver eyes flashed
a promise at her. She turned around, leaned her elbows on the bar, pushed
her buttocks out and hollowed her back. She felt the leather strips separate
and she pushed her ass even further out. She watched his expression in the
mirror on the opposite wall and smiled. Take that my Liege! At least now
she was not the only one walking around aroused.
“If you don’t stop laughing, you idiot, I am going to sock you.” Ruark
barked at Quinlan.
“You have to agree, Bud. That took guts to do, immediately after she
was spanked.”
“Yeah . . . she is one hell of a woman. Keep an eye on her, Quin and
don’t forget those clamps every fifteen minutes.”
“You’re not forgetting something, Bud?”
He waited, and then sighed when Quinlan did not respond.
“Am I supposed to read your fucking mind, Quin?”
“She is not wearing a collar. There are some seriously hungry Doms
around tonight.”
“Bloody hell.”
He reached into his pocket and drew out a white gold choker collar. It
had individual narrow square links roughly 20 mm wide, which were linked
together with smaller square links covered with diamond dust. Brilliant
white diamonds glittered on each link. He handed it to Quinlan. His jaw
dropped and he looked at Ruark in amazement.
 “This is a diamond and gold collar.” It was the type of color a man
would give his wife on their wedding day.
“Yes, and?”
“For a trainee sub?”
“Just put the damn thing on her neck.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do it yourself?”
“If I go anywhere near her now, Quin, I am going to strip her and fuck
her brains out. Just do it.” He turned and stomped down the stairs to the
dungeon. Quin was still smiling broadly when he came to stand behind
Courtney.
“You can lower that ass now, sub. He is gone.” She jumped upright so
fast it was actually funny. He held up the collar and her eyes widened.
“Oh wow! That is . . . wow.”
“Ruark asked me to put this on you.”
“Ruark . . . me? What for?”
“Any sub without a collar or a band is free game to all Doms. You
belong to him. This is proof of that.”
“But . . . this is a gold and diamond collar! It is . . . why did he not do
it himself?”
“You want the word for word version?” At her nod, he grinned and
quoted, “If I go anywhere near her now, Quin, I am going to strip her and
fuck her brains out.”
She blushed. All over her body and wouldn’t you know it . . . she felt
the wet heat slither down her thighs. She moaned and lifted her hair when
Quinlan stepped behind her. He snapped the clasp together and with a soft
click, the mechanism locked in place. It fit perfectly. She touched the collar
and it felt so . . . so right.
“Ruark has the only key, Courtney.”
“Key?”
“It has a locking mechanism that can only be unlocked with one key.”
Courtney gaped after him. He gave her a collar . . . a permanent
collar. What did that mean? What the fuck did that mean?
 Chapter Eleven

“Let me go! Hagan!” Courtney pulled back as hard as she could, but to no
avail.
“It is Master Hagan, sub.”
She simmered with anger. “Where are we going?”
“We are taking you to our Liege so he can deal with your insolence
toward us.”
“Look, I am sorry. It sort of comes naturally with you two. Please, it
won’t happen again.”
“Do you get the impression, Sloan, that the little sub here is scared of
our Liege?”
“Gmphf. In his dreams. Can we just talk about this?”
“Enough.   Now behave and not a word until our Liege gives you
permission to speak.”
She clamped her mouth shut. Shit, shit, shit. She thought it prudent to
keep her eyes lowered this time and stared at Ruark’s boots when they
stopped in front of him. He could not keep his eyes off the collar around her
neck. Mine!
 “Is there a problem Hagan?”
“Yes, my Liege. Your sub insulted us and was extremely insolent.”
“I am listening.”
“She told us we are assholes and to go and fuck ourselves. She needs
to realize there is a distinction between work and the club. A protocol for all
subs to adhere to. We will not tolerate such behavior from a sub. Not even
yours.”
“Agreed. Did you have any specific punishment in mind?”
Hagan felt Courtney stiffen and smiled. It was time the little snip
learned her lesson.
“We believe you ate her out for over an hour on Wednesday, allowing
her to come. We would be satisfied with additional weights on her nipple
clamps and you eat her out for thirty minutes . . . but she may not come.
And we watch.”
Courtney closed her eyes. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Courtney. Look at me.”
 She swallowed hard, then opened her eyes and looked at him. The
disappointment in his eyes gutted her and she lowered her eyes again.
“Sub!”  Her eyes jumped back to his. “Eyes on me, and do not let me
tell you again.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew two ball weights.
Fuck, they were big. Her eyes widened but she did not move. Her nipples
were already killing her. It had been over an hour since he’d put them on.
He reached over and attached the first weight. Courtney bit her lip.
“No. If I see you biting your lip once more, I will put a clamp and a
weight on it to make sure you can’t continue that habit.” She gasped at the
harsh threat and knew he meant it. She released her lip.
“Please . . . n-not the weights.” His eyes held hers and he dropped the
weight. The pain flashed in her eyes and he smiled.
“Ahh. Fucking hell.”
He hooked the other weight and dropped it as well and another cry
filled the air. Ruark’s blood pumped in his veins.
“Breathe through it, sub.”
Courtney took short deep breaths until the throbbing stopped, but now
the stinging pain was more pronounced with the added weight. Her eyes
dropped.
“Eyes!” They popped back to his. “She needs to finish her waitress
service before we can attend to the final part of her punishment, but I have a
different idea. She will be eaten out for thirty minutes, on the examination
chair in the medical room . . . by you and Sloan.”
“No. Oh god please no.”
Courtney pleaded with him, her eyes were pools of misery. She could
not believe he would do such a thing to her. She was supposed to be his. His
eyes remained hard and his face expressionless. It was time his sub realized
who had control of her needs and her body in their relationship. He took
one step closer and took her chin in his hand.
“What are you, Courtney.”
“A . . . a sub.”
“Whose?”
“Y-yours, my Master.”
“Which means?”
“Y-you have the right to decide what is best for me and what and how
my punishments must be.”
“What do I have, sub?”
 She bit her lip and he cursed. “I’m sorry!” Courtney apologized
immediately. “A childhood habit is difficult to break in two minutes,
Master.”
“Try harder and answer me.”
“The right to decide when my body receives pleasure or pain.”
He kept looking at her. Eyes glittering. Expression unwavering. He
stroked a finger over the collar and his voice lowered.
“Do you then agree it is my right to issue the punishment I just did?”
She groaned and nodded. “I need the words, sub.”
“Y-yes, my Liege.” He looked at her for a long moment and knew
right then, he was doing the right thing. She needed to learn to trust even if
he had to force her to trust him. To open up to him. One way or another, he
would reach deeper inside her.
“Go complete your service and return here once it is done.”
They watched her go, her shoulders slumped. Sloan turned back to
Ruark, a frown on his brow.
“Why? None of us have even bothered to ask to punish or play with
her. We’ve seen the possessiveness you have over her.”
“She needs to learn to open up to me. To look into my eyes, while she
allows her body to relax and feel, knowing it is not me, but her pleasure is
for me.”
“Fuck Ruark. She is never going to forgive us. We would rather swap
this with giving her a spanking.”
“Yeah. We have to work with her still.”
“Bullshit. You are both experienced Doms. You know as well as I do
that you can separate the two. She has to learn to do that. This will be the
best way for her to understand how to separate the two. Now, can I order
you each a drink?”
“Beer please.”
He waved one of the Club Monitors closer and instructed him to
reserve the medical room for him for two hours.

Courtney drug her feet walking back to the dungeon when her shift was
over. Her nipples throbbed painfully and she felt like crying.
How could he let them do this? It is not right.
 Shuffling her feet, she approached the massive whipping area where
the men stood off to the side. Ruark turned and watched her approach. Once
their eyes met, she sped up, hurrying to step into his warmth and wrap her
arms around his body. His affection infiltrated every cell as she pressed her
supple body against his and hissed in pain when her clamped nipples
received added constriction.
She pleaded against his chest. Her voice whisper soft. “Please, my
Master. My nipples are killing me. Please remove the clamps.”
Ruark took her hair in his hand and pulled her head back softly,
causing her nipples to press harder into his chest. She cried out, her eyes
testament to the stinging pain that ripped through her.
“Are you wet, my pet?”
“Y-yes.”
“Then they stay.”
“Please.” Her sob was swallowed when his head swooped down and
he crushed her lips beneath his, pressing her harder against him. Her scream
was hot in his mouth. Then he kissed her. He kissed her like a wild man,
desperate for the taste of his woman. One who knew what hold he had over
his woman. A man who needed to be needed – every bit as much as he
needed her. When he lifted his head, her lips were swollen and tender. The
stinging pain from her breasts pressing ruthlessly against him was visible in
her eyes. The blood rushed faster through his veins. He slowly released her
and stepped back.
“Breathe Courtney. Breathe through the pain.”
She took small needy breaths, then longer slower ones, concentrating
on the twinges of pleasure. Pleasure that shivered down her stomach and
fed the wetness of her pussy.
“Shit, that was hot,”  Hagan shook his head and shared a look with
Sloan. It was high time for them to find a sub.
“Let’s go. I still want to do a scene with her and then some discipline
on the bar top. Then, I get to fuck my sub.”
Courtney’s breath caught in her throat and heat vibrated in her core.
She drew in a deep breath. She would get through this. She would remove
the look of disappointment from his eyes.
Ruark waved her into the room, Sloan and Hagan followed. He
picked up a chair from a corner and placed it beside the head of the
examination chair. He sat down, leaned back and rested his ankle on his
opposite knee. Courtney stood shivering just inside the door. He was really
going to do this.
“I need you naked for our scene directly following, so Courtney,
please strip. You may leave your stockings and garter.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, and then shrugged the vest off,
wincing as the weights bobbed in reaction. Unclipping her skirt, she folded
both items and placed them on a shelf. She bent over and removed her
boots, which she placed beside her clothes.
Ruark nodded to Sloan, who took Courtney’s arm and led her to the
examination chair. It was a gynecology chair with a short seat and a cut out
center. There were padded armrests by the hips, as well as additional
padding at the top. The stirrups had uniquely shaped leg rests that fit the
knees. She bit her lip and climbed on the chair.
“Courtney!” She released her lip and sat with her hands in her lap, her
eyes lowered.
“Relax, sub. We are not ogre’s you know.”
“That is a matter of opinion . . . Master Sloan.”
Hagan took the leather wrist cuffs that Ruark had taken out of his toy
bag and strapped them on her wrists. “Where do you want her hands, Bud?”
“Top.”
Hagan pulled her arm upward and she heard the sound of a chain. He
hooked the link into the wrist bands and it closed with an ominous click.
Then he did the same with her other hand. She moaned as her nipples
protested the increase in pressure from the clover clamps with the upward
movement of her breasts.
“Legs over the leg rests, Sloan, not the stirrups. That way you will
have better access to her pussy,” Ruark instructed sternly.
Courtney whimpered as Sloan lifted and placed first one leg and then
the other onto the leg rests. They were quite high and it forced her hips
forward and up. He tied two velcro straps around her knee, while Hagan did
the same with the other. He looked at her and pushed the leg rests further
apart until her knees were in line with her hips. She moaned. Her pussy was
spread wide open.
“Hagan, put the strap around her lower hips as well. You don’t want
her to have too much room to move. First, lower the backrest of the chair.”
She closed her eyes as Sloan stepped on the control that lowered the
top of the chair, stopping when it was flat.
 “A little more, tilt her slightly backward.”
Courtney’s hands searched desperately for something to hold on to.
Hagan took her hands and gently closed her fingers around the padded bars
above her head. She had never felt so utterly helpless and vulnerable in her
life.
Sloan looked at Hagan. “We’ll do ten minutes each and then ten
minutes together.” Sloan stroked Courtney’s thigh as she shook her head
upon realizing what that meant. Little, desperate mewls of denial escaped
her.
“Courtney. Look at me.” Ruark’s voice was hard and stern. She turned
her head and her eyes met his. His warm, caring eyes. His continued gaze
slowly relaxed her.
“That’s it, my pet. I want your eyes on me the whole time. You do not
close them. This is for me. You will always react to what is in my eyes, not
their touch. Me . . . only me. Is that understood?”
“Y-yes, my Liege.”
He nodded and noticed the shock in her eyes when Hagan drew slow
circles around her clit with his tongue and then pressed it deep inside. She
started to pant and tears burned in her eyes. Ruark’s silver eyes scorched
hers, offering her warmth and she relaxed, then tensed when heat filled her
belly and she felt her core tighten in arousal. Hagan growled in approval.
“No . . . No!”
Hagan started to suck, softly at first, then harder, swirling his tongue
around the bundle of nerves inside her. Courtney moaned, the pressure
building inside her so fast it was frightening. Rough fingers circled her clit
then suddenly pressed down hard, directly on the top, and she cried out in
surprise, a climax thundering, thundering . . .
“Stop.” Ruark snapped and Hagan withdrew from her. He stroked her
belly and after a few moments, his tongue surged inside again, his fingers
back to torment her clit. They took her to the edge over and over again.
She was panting and pleading by the end of his ten minutes. He got
up from the little round stool he was sitting on and Sloan took his place.
“Oh please. Please my Liege. No more. I can’t . . . aahhh!”
Sloan was stronger in his attack on her pussy, rougher and she felt a
climax rush to the surface almost immediately. He stopped before Ruark
even told him to and nibbled sharp bites on her thighs, then he slammed his
tongue back inside her and pressed deep, then deeper and she whimpered,
desperately trying to push her hips harder into his mouth. She was there . . .
she only needed a little . . . yes!
“Nooo. Oh god, I hate you. I hate all of you.”
Sloan chuckled and looked at Ruark. “I am going to go hard now,
Bud. You tell me when.”
And he did. It felt as if he would suck every drop of liquid from her
body. She wondered dazedly whether Ruark taught him or whether they had
the same teacher. He used the same techniques Ruark did. By the time he
stopped, she was crying in need, begging with a hoarse voice for release.
She screamed pleadingly when Sloan rammed his tongue back inside and
Hagan’s mouth closed over her clit. They sucked, nipped and licked her to
desperation. She screamed uncontrollably, begging Ruark. Her eyes not
leaving his for a second.
Her body trembled and she was covered in a sheen of sweat by the
time they withdrew from her. Her breathing was haggard and uneven, her
chest heaving from the desperate panting in attempts to draw a proper
breath.
“Do you have something to say to Masters Sloan and Hagan, sub?”
She tried to speak, she really did, but she could not draw enough air
into her lungs. The need that raged inside her, absolutely consumed her.
Ruark rose and raised the backrest of the chair so that she was lying at a
forty-five-degree angle. He stroked her arm and leaned down to kiss her
softly on her neck, her cheek and sucked softly on her earlobe. She keened
and cried out.
“Breathe, my pet. Come on. Breathe with me. In and out. Listen to
me, sub. In and out. That’s it, my beautiful, little pet. Now, try again.”
“I am sorry for being insolent and cursing at you, Masters . . .  hmm .
. . S-Sloan and Hagan.”
“Are you satisfied that the punishment was sufficient, Masters?”
“Yes. Yes, we are indeed. I’m just fucking sorry we did not ask for an
hour. That is one sweet and hot little cunt.”
Ruark nodded and the two men leaned over and kissed Courtney on
her cheeks. “Thank you, little sub. It was a sweet feast indeed.”
With a brief nod at Ruark, they left the room. He sat down on the
examination stool and rolled it around to sit by her side. He looked at her
with the same intensity he always had. As if he looked into her. As if he saw
. . . her. He lifted his hand and toyed with the point of her nipple visible
between the clamp’s edges. She cried out as stinging pain seared down her
stomach to tighten into pleasurable heat in her core.
“You need to learn to separate your life out there from the one in here.
There will be no mention of this by them at work, they claimed their
punishment and it is over. Understand, my pet?”
“Yes, my Liege.” Strangely enough she did. She had realized as much
during the punishment. The way they treated her in here was totally
different than at work and that had not changed. She understood now what
Hagan had meant about differentiating between work and actions inside the
club. What happened inside these walls, remained inside these walls.
“I asked you a question a few days ago, which you chose not to
answer at that time. Do you remember, my pet?”
Courtney licked her lips and Ruark cursed. He reached over and
grabbed a bottle of vitamin water. He held it against her lips and she drank
thirstily. He made her drink until he was satisfied she had enough.
“Better?”
She nodded. “I asked you a question, sub.”
“Yes, I remember.” His eyes hardened and he looked at her. She
sighed. “Yes, I remember, my Liege.”
She found it difficult to concentrate with him continuing to torment
her nipples, feeding her need higher and higher.
“What was the question, sub?”
“If I was scared of you.”
“And you said.”
“No, not of you.”
“Then what, my pet.”
Her eyes pleaded, but he refused to relent and his eyes flashed darker.
“Courtney,” his voice abrupt and curt. His Dom voice. She swallowed
and closed her eyes.
“Eyes.” They popped open and she looked at him.
“Of . . . what . . . I am scared of what you make me feel.”
His breath lodged in his lungs and every fiber in his body froze.
Fucking yes!
“And what is that, my pet?”
“I . . . please. I don’t want to . . . I can’t . . .”
“But you will, before you will be allowed to leave this island again.”
 He rolled the stool around and she watched him settle between her
legs. He opened his toy bag and he took out what looked like a . . . oh fuck .
. . an anal plug, some lube and a . . . oh double fuck . . . butterfly vibrator.
“Ruark, I . . .”
His eyes snapped to her and she swallowed, “My Liege, I said I didn’t
want anal . . .”
“Did you?”
“Yes! Please I . . .”
“Do you need to come, sub?”
“Yes, oh yes please!”
“And you will, my pet and I promise you. With the butt plug in, you
will have a climax like none you have ever had. After that, if you still do
not want to do anal . . . then and only then, I will accept it.” His voice
lowered. “But know one thing, sub. I ache to bury my cock in your sweet
virgin ass. I would be incredibly disappointed if you say no.”
Courtney knew she was doomed.
Ruark sat watching Courtney. His expression stern. His eyes dropped
to her straining breasts and he smiled at the now cherry red nipples. Maybe
his little sub could do with a little more stimulation on her breasts. He
leaned down and took a small vial and a cotton swab from his bag. He rose
and she watched him with trepidation as he opened the vial and dipped the
swap inside. He slowly smoothed the swab around one nipple, dipped it
back in the vial and then swabbed the other.
“This is going to be our first scene, little pet. I am going to make this
little body of yours sing. You are going to experience sensations you have
never known existed. Do you wish me to continue, Courtney?”
Courtney looked into his eyes and drowned in the warmth she saw
there. Strangely, she completely trusted him and did not even ask what the
scene was going to be. All she knew was that she needed what he was going
to offer her.
“Yes, please, my Liege.”
The scent of cinnamon and candles reached her senses and she took a
deep breath. Ruark closed the vial and slowly stroked circles on her belly
with a rough fingertip. He walked back to the bottom end of the chair and
sat down, taking out another vial. This time, she tensed. He dampened a
cotton swab and smiled at her when he thoroughly wiped the swap on her
clitoris.
 Oh shit, oh shit. The roughness of the cotton on her swollen and
sensitive clit was torment, exquisite torment. She took a breath, her areolae
were suddenly warm, her nipples hardened within the clamps, and she
moaned. She shook her head when he took out yet another vial and dipped a
cotton swab inside. He opened her labia and slowly rubbed the swab around
the outside of her inner labia.
Suddenly she was overcome with sensations from the different oils he
had rubbed on her, the heat on her nipples, the coolness of peppermint
inside her pussy and hot heat . . . oh fuck . . . the stuff on her clit turned hot
like coals. It was so much more intense than the heat on her nipples. It felt
like a thousand tiny heated needles were attacking the nub of nerves.
“This is all for pleasure. All for you. Relax, my pet and feel.”
She was sweating. It was too much. Her nipples burned and tingled,
her folds were icy, yet the most sensitive part on her body was burning, on
fire. He bent and blew directly on her pussy and she cried out, arching her
back, as every sensation increased.
“Oh fuck. I c-can’t anymore . . . please.”
She heard the crinkle of plastic as he tore open a packet and she
moaned when she saw the vibrator. It was not massive, but it was long and
slightly curved.
“Please. Oh, god please.”
“Patience, pet,” he smiled and dipped a finger inside her pussy. “So,
wet, we won’t even need lube.” She shivered when he slowly pushed the
vibrator inside her pussy. Groaning, she tried to lift her hips higher, but the
strap holding them down did not allow for too much movement. He grunted
with satisfaction when the vibrator settled all the way inside and he switch
it on.
“OH fuck! Ahh . . . please I need to . . . aahhh!”
“Not yet, my pet. You do not come yet.”
He rolled the tip of his fingers over her clit and she cried out as it
increased the heat. Then he placed the butterfly vibrator on her clit and laid
his big hand on her belly. Their eyes met. His silvery orbs and hers
pleading.
“Remember, my pet. You have a safeword. Use it if it gets too much.
What is it again, sub?”
“R-red.”
 And the vibrator started to flutter against her clit. She jerked against
the restraints, clenching her teeth and arching her back. Oh lord, she was
not going to survive this! Ruark watched her intently, a slight smile on his
lips. He picked up the anal plug, which was a medium sized one, frowned
and put it back. She heard the squirt of lube and her eyes popped open.
“No . . . no more. Please, my Liege. I need to come.”
“Soon, my pet, soon.”
He circled the small puckered edges of her back hole and she
squirmed. He ignored her, pushed the tip of his finger inside and left it
there. He pushed a little further and Courtney clamped shut.
“This is unacceptable behavior, my pet and disappointing. Relax your
muscles and press down, it will make it easier.”
She took a deep breath as he pushed his finger deeper and kept going
until he was all the way in. Fuck it burned and it was only his finger.
He started to move his finger in and out slowly and she moaned. The
sensation from his finger fucking her ass with the vibrator in her pussy was
indescribable. Something she had never experienced before. It was as if
every stroke of his finger touched a nerve. A nerve that was somehow
attached to her clit . . . to her pussy. He squirted some more lube on his
finger and then she felt another pressing inside.
“No. Relax, sub. You’re doing well.”
He kept pushing and she moaned as the burning increased with the
added finger. He started pumping in and out, alternating between slow and
deep with short and fast. Courtney was on fire. Her whole body shivered
with the need to come. The combined sensations from the oils, the vibrators
and his fingers overwhelmed her and she could not think. Her body started
to float even as it tightened with need. He spread his fingers inside her,
pulling them apart, stretching her gently.
“Please, I beg you. I need to . . . come. Please let me come.”
“So, beautiful, my pet. So. Fucking. Beautiful.”
“Please, please, please, please.”
“Come at will, my pet.”
Ruark began to move the vibrator in her pussy, twisting and turning,
driving it in and out, in opposite motion to his fingers inside her ass. His
fingers rammed against the sensitive nerves in her asshole at the same time
increased the tempo on the vibrators. Everything inside her tightened and
clenched then shot open, blasting her with pleasure that flooded her veins,
her nerves, all the way to her toes, and her body convulsed. Over and over.
Her back arched and she screamed, long and huskily and then
nothing. She did not move. Her cunt had taken control of her senses, her
bodily functions, as she was gripped in the clutches of a release so intense,
she saw blackness. She clawed at the air, her eyes wide with panic.
She managed to draw a shallow breath. Ruark watched her. His eyes
intense, but he did not stop. He kept her on a high, feeding her need, taking
her body through a rollercoaster of climaxes. Up, up, then quickly down, to
take her up again, only to hang suspended until the bubble burst. It was a
ride that continued until she was drenched in sweat, every nerve in her body
screamed and she trembled like a wet little kitten. Only then did he relent,
pulling his fingers from her ass and slowly removing the vibrators.
He got up, washed his hands in the basin, returned with some wet
wipes and tenderly cleaned her, while she was completely relaxed. She had
gone into sub space and felt lethargic, relaxed and so, so satiated.
He sat down between her legs again and stroked her belly. Her eyes
dropped to his, soft and a deep smoky violet. He smiled gently. “One more
thing to do, my pet. You know the drill now. Relax, sub and bear down as I
push it in.”
Her eyes widened as she watched him put lube on the anal plug and
whimpered. It was a little longer than his fingers and probably as wide, but
the end was slightly wider and rounder. He kept his eyes on hers as he
slowly pushed the tip of the plug inside her. It was cold and slick as he slid
it in slightly deeper, retreated and then pushed back in a little further.
Courtney panted as the burning spread and her muscles resisted.
Instinctively, she tightened them, trying to close against the invasion.
Ruark slapped her ass with a hard, stinging hand and she gasped.
“Relax, sub and bear down as if you’re expelling something. This plug is
going in and I would prefer you work with me rather than against me.”
Courtney closed her eyes and she tried to relax, loosening the death
grip she had on the bars above her head. She tried. The plug felt smooth, but
huge. It stung as it stretched the ring of muscles, and then finally settled
inside her with a soundless pop. It was uncomfortable and felt large.
“Breathe, my pet."
She slowly took in a deep breath, trying to relax around the feeling of
having something in her ass. It felt wrong. Foreign and exciting at the same
time. She shivered, feeling the burn flow, heating up her entire core. Once
again, she was consumed by a monstrous need. Oh, my Liege, please take
me! She wanted him so badly. To feel his huge cock inside her, fucking her
hard and deep. She more than wanted him. She needed him.
Her eyes glittered with need. Ruark’s breath lodged in his throat.
“Please, my Liege. I need you.”
“Yes, Baby. Now you are ready for me. But are you ready to give me
what I need?”
“Yes. Please.”
He chuckled and started to release the straps. “The true test is about to
come, my pet. Then I’ll know how much you need me.”
Ruark lifted her gently from the chair and stood her on her feet. Her
legs wobbled and he made her lean against the side of the chair. Going
down on his haunches, he slowly started rubbing and stroking the muscles
in her legs.
“Better, my pet?”
“Yes, my Master.”
He nuzzled his lips on her neck and chuckled. “A few minutes ago, I
was your Liege.”
“Yes well, that was obviously a lustful slip of the tongue. I do not
foresee it being repeated in the near future.”
“I like challenges, my pet, and that was direct.” He handed her a
bottle of energy water. “Drink.”
 Chapter Twelve

Ruark had a gentle smile on his mouth as he carried her upstairs to find a
quiet corner to sit down with her on his lap. She was still lethargic and not
completely down from subspace. He wanted her mind totally open and
sharp for the final test. He stroked her back, wrapped her long hair around
his fist and pulled her head back. His head lowered and he nibbled on her
lips. She opened her mouth to search for his tongue, enticing him to kiss her
deeply.
When he looked at her afterward, he had an intense glint in his eyes.
The one where he saw into her. The one that made her heart flutter. The one
that made her want forever with him. But she couldn’t. She knew that and it
devastated her. Would it be fair to push for more from him, knowing she
would not ever be able to offer him more?
“It is time, my pet.”
F-for what.”
“To tell me why you are scared by what I make you feel.”
Her eyes flared and she looked away.
“Eyes.” The violet globes popped back.
“I . . . really, really do not want to talk about it.”
“Tough.” His eyes hardened and his voice was deep and stern. The
expression on his face told her he was not going to back away this time.
“I am not into relationships, my Master. Not any type. I don’t want it.
I haven’t for six years. I don't intend to start now. It’s . . . it’s too hard and
not something I have the time for. You . . . please I don’t . . .”
“Keep talking.”
“You’re so pushy. You make me want to . . .     Okay. You make me
crave the closeness, the tenderness and the passion. The need to turn around
and know . . . just know there will be hands to catch you when you fall. To
carry you and hold your hand when . . . there. Are you happy now?”
His eyes bore into hers, his face impassive. She knew he must be mad
and disappointed in her and that made her want to cry. She knew what they
had was more than a Dom training a sub, more than a D/s agreement. And
she knew he felt it too. The collar around her throat was a clear testament to
it. Her hand lifted to the collar and she stroked it. His eyes dropped to
follow the movement.
 “That is . . . unfortunate then, is it not. For you accepted that collar
without restraint, without a murmur.”  His eyes rose to meet hers. “Make no
mistake, my pet. That collar is there to stay.”
He pushed her off his lap, stood, and ordered her to get dressed. He
folded the blanket and threw it on the chair he had just vacated and watched
her getting dressed with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Now, it is time for the punishment from your early evening insolence
against me. You will follow a step behind me and when I stop, you will
kneel next to me. Is that clear.”
He had turned into pure Dom.
“Yes, Master.”
His eyes glittered.
“And, I have put up with that now for long enough. Every time you
do not address me in the appropriate manner, you will suck a Senior
Master’s cock and swallow his load. Starting now.”
Her eyes flared and she took a step back. His sharp frown
immobilized her.
“With me. Here and now. On your knees, my pet.”
Courtney sank down on her knees and watched as he undid his pants
and took his cock out. Her eyes widened and she swallowed. Oh, fuck he
was huge!  She felt the many interested looks from the people around them
and she blushed.
“Are you waiting for an invitation, sub? I want you to take me deep.
All the way down your throat and you will swallow every drop I give you.
Do not waste any.”
She reached out and wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft.
“No. Hands behind your back. Use your mouth only.”  
Courtney knew this was punishment, but she so wanted to taste and
please him. She eagerly licked his length the moment she clasped her hands
behind her back. She curled her tongue around his blunt tip and locked her
lips around it.
Ruark grit his teeth. His cock had been painfully erect since he
smelled her arousal, earlier this evening, in his office. Her hot tongue
curling around his tip with her lips around it, was nearly too much to bear.
He curved his hand behind her head. He had to remember this was a
punishment for her. He guided her forward, tilting his cock at the right
angle. She slid her hot, wet mouth down his length so sensually, his balls
tightened. He gripped her hair in both his hands and set her to a fast, steady
rhythm.
Courtney had sucked her husband, but he was not nearly as big as
Ruark, so the first time he went past her comfort zone, she raised her hands.
His hands tightened in her hair and she moaned against the pain.
“I said no hands, pet. Just your mouth.”
He was in control of how she would suck him off. He studied her face
and pulled back until only the head was in her mouth. She panted and the
heat of her breath tightened his cock. He wanted her a little outside her
comfort zone, but he did not want her scared. He allowed her to relax and
she took a deep breath and pushed forward, relaxing and loosening her jaw,
as much as she could in her agitated state, to take him deeper. She licked a
hot strip up the underside of his cock, circled the tip and ran back down his
length. She continued to lick and suck him, even when his hands in her hair
held her still and he thrust in and out of her mouth.
He did not force her to take all of him, he would work on that later.
Instead, he kept a steady rhythm, grunting his approval. Courtney sucked
harder, hollowing her cheeks and creating vacuum each time he drew back.
It unraveled his control faster than he wanted or thought would be possible.
He had at least another hour before the time would come to fuck her and
make her his. His need for her was so great he knew he would be hard again
and he let go.
“Swallow, sub. Every drop.”  
He pressed deep, then deeper and his hot seed shot down her throat.
He continued short thrusts until he was empty. Courtney was so enthralled
by his obvious loss of control, she did not even realize at first that he was
pulling his shaft from her. That even though he came strongly in her mouth,
he was still hard. He jammed his cock back in his pants and zipped it up. He
took her hand to help her up, dragging her to the bar.
Oh, fuck what did he plan on doing now?
“Do you have something to say to me, sub, before we start?”
“I . . . I am sorry for not addressing you in the appropriate manner, my
. . . Master.”
His hard gaze singed her. A clear warning. He stepped closer and said
in a stern voice, “Do not push your boundaries with me any further tonight,
sub. The lesson with Sloan and Hagan should have taught you, I do not
make idle threats. Next time, it will not be me you will suck off.”
 “Yes, my Liege.”
“That’s better, pet.”
Her eyes rose to his and she pleaded. “Please, my nipples are so, so
sore. Please remove the clamps.”
He reached out, almost idly and stroked the tops of her nipples
between the grips of the clamp and she whimpered. His finger trailed down
the chain until the loop in the chain prevented it from going further. His
eyes on hers, he tugged sharply on the chain and she shouted out in pain.
“Aargh! Shit, Shit!”
“That is fourteen, sub.”
She looked at him through a haze of pain and he almost smiled. Her
eyes widened. Oh fuck!
“Y-you are a s-s-sadist. I . . . no please.”
Another tug, another cry.
“Yes, my pet, I am a bit of a sadist. But only as much as you can take.
That is all I need to satisfy that part of me. The clamps stay. I am not ready
to remove them yet.”
He had removed them at regular intervals to keep the circulation
going, but put them back every time. She was starting to hate him. He took
her elbow and guided her to the rounded end of the raised bar.
“Apart from your vest, stockings and garters, strip sub.”
She shook her head. “I beg you, my Master. Please do . . .”
“I am not going to repeat myself, sub.”
She simmered and felt the anger bubble inside her. Fuck him! He was
pushing every single button of hers in one night and she’d had enough.
She opened her mouth and saw the warning in his eyes. She knew she
was pushing it, but enough was enough.
“You want me naked, you can fucking take them off yourself.”  She
heard a collective gasp. It was as if everyone that had heard her, gasped in
unison.
“Now you’ve fucking gone and done it, Courtney.”  
She hardly registered Sloan’s mutter, hypnotized by the silver eyes
that turned as bright as white gold. His mouth tightened. Without turning to
him, he instructed Quinlan.
“That is fifteen. Quin, fetch me three pussy whips, three crops, a steel
T-bar and a steel spreader bar.”
 Courtney stepped back, her eyes wide. Three of each? He took hold of
her elbow, ripped her skirt off and threw it to Sloan, who stood behind her.
His hands folded around her waist and he lifted her on of the bar. Her breath
whooshed out at the coldness of the stainless steel under her butt. He
removed her boots and chucked them at Sloan.
“On your knees, sub.” Courtney knew she did not dare push him any
further. For the first time, she feared him. Feared what he planned to do to
her.
She went onto her knees. “Hands behind your back.” She obeyed.
“Ryder, cuff her wrists using a chain and a T-bar against her neck, but
make sure there is no slack. I do not want her to move.” Courtney cursed
herself for her stupidity. Ruark watched as Ryder pulled her arms back.
“Pull her arms back more. I want her back arched, her breasts pushed
out all the way.”
Courtney keened as the clamps tightened and Ryder snapped the cuffs
in place, leaving her in an uncomfortable arching position. Quinlan came
back and handed Ruark the spreader bar. She heard him make adjustments
and then clamp one of the round bars around the area just above each of her
knees. Then he started to lengthen the bar to spread her knees further apart.
She whimpered softly.
“Please! I’m sorry, my Liege.”
He ignored her and pulled her legs to the edge of the bar using the
spreader bar. She was helpless. Being arched backwards, with the spreader
bar between her knees, the only thing she could move was her torso,
twisting it slightly from one side to another.
“Hmm . . . that won’t do.” Ruark walked into the inner circle of the
bar and she felt him starting to weave a rope around each bicep, then tie a
knot in the middle, before he pulled it around the spreader bar and back to
the edge of the bar, where he tied it. Now, she could not move. Fuck, fuck,
fuck!
“How many Senior Masters are here tonight, Quin?”
“Twelve. Including Jason.”
“No. Please.”
“Call him for me, please.”
Courtney turned pleading eyes to him and pleaded softly. “I beg you.
Not Jason. He is my sister’s fiancé.”
 He just looked at her, and then turned to the couple that just
approached with Quinlan in tow. Lindsey gasped when she recognized
Courtney, but did not say a word.
“Jason, this sub was insolent toward me in front of everyone here.
She is going to be punished by the Senior Masters. Seeing as you are her
sister’s fiancé, I will leave it up to you whether you wish to participate.”
Courtney watched her sister and saw the shock in her eyes. Oh, god
Jason. Please, please say no. Jason looked down at his sub and saw the
devastation in her eyes. He looked at Ruark.
“Thanks for the offer, cuz, but I believe I will sit this one out.”
“Is there someone you would like to elect to take your place?”
“It has to be a Senior Master?”
“Yes.”
He did not hesitate. “Master Quinlan.”
Ruark nodded and took the microphone Ryder was holding out to
him. His voice boomed through the club.
“Doms, subs and trainees, your attention please. My sub, Courtney
Sears, has been insolent toward me in the presence of club members. As
you know, we frown upon a sub being insolent toward her Dom. A sub
being insolent toward me is unforgivable. However, my sub accepted my
collar earlier this evening and as I wish to maintain my agreement with her,
she will suffer a punishment in apology for her behavior. I appeal to all
Senior Masters to come to the bar where the punishment will be
conducted.”
He picked up a pussy whip and a crop and held them up.
“These two tools will be used by each SM to give punishment. The
only area you are allowed to hit is her pussy.” He snapped the crop against
her pussy from behind and she wailed. “And her nipples.” He swiped the
crop against each nipple and she moaned.
“As you can see, my little sub has been wearing those clamps for
quite some time. So, I imagine she is going to get very loud. I apologize in
advance for that. Now, SMs, here are the rules. You can decide to use either
of the tools to whip her pussy and tits. Two swats at a time for each area.
Then walk away. The next time you take a turn, you use the crop.
Otherwise, you may team up with two other SM’s and each of you take two
swats at the same time on the three designated areas.”
“How long do we have, my Liege?”
 “Fifteen minutes, uninterrupted.” Oh, thank god! Courtney was still in
shock from the punishment he had elected for her and Lindsey had started
to cry. Then Quinlan spoke up again.
“Far be it for us to question the punishment, my Liege, but those of us
that heard what she said, believe that fifteen minutes is not adequate time.”
Ruark was quiet for a spell. His adrenaline had started to bubble in his
veins the moment she uttered those words. Even though he was not going to
participate, he would be able to watch her accept her punishment. He
looked at Courtney. She was strong and he had no doubt that she would be
able to withstand the punishment. He nodded.
“Would thirty minutes appease your anger? And her assurance . . .
that she won’t safeword out.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck and another fuck!
The club had gone dead quiet. Courtney trembled. She knew what he
wanted. She had forced his hand and he was more than disappointed in her.
It was up to her to make right by him. But fuck! Twelve angry Doms
swatting away at her pussy and already abused tits . . . how would she
survive?
“NO. You can’t do that, my Liege. Please have mercy.” Lindsey
pleaded with Ruark. Courtney turned her head and caught her eyes. She
smiled at her.
“It’s okay dimple face. It’s my own fault.”
Quinlan touched her arm and she turned her eyes to him. “Do you
agree with what my Liege has said, sub?”
Courtney nodded and Ruark growled behind her. “You know better,
sub.”
“Yes, Master Quinlan. I g-g-give you my assurance that I won’t s-s-
safeword out.”
Ruark looked at the beautiful woman on top of the bar counter,
touched by her bravery, but angry with Quinlan for pushing her further. He
turned to him and frowned. His voice harsh and it was clear he would not
accept any opposition.
“This is my punishment to give and I am gratified that my sub is
willing to go to such an extreme to pacify my anger. However, denying a
sub the use of her safeword goes against all we uphold in this Lifestyle and
Courtney, never again will you agree to something like this, is that clear?
You always, always will have the right to a safeword, no matter the
circumstances.”
“Yes, my Liege.”
“The punishment will be two smack from each of the Senior Masters
only on her cunt and nipples. Courtney, that means six lashes only.”
Her gaze popped to his, wondering why he had chosen to lessen her
punishment, but relieved nonetheless.
“Very well. Senior Masters, when you’re ready.” Ruark stood behind
her and she felt his big hand stroke down the crack between her cheeks.
  She squeaked when he suddenly pressed hard against the anal plug.
Sensations shot into her core, her clit pulsed.
“It is a pity, sub. I looked forward to burying my cock in your cunt
tonight. Now, with this punishment, it will have to be delayed once again. I
trust you realize, sub, that I am extremely unhappy about that.”
“Yes, my Liege”
He nuzzled her neck and whispered in her ear.
“They are very angry with you, my pet. I daresay this is not going to
be very pleasant for you. Even more unpleasant for me to watch. That is
another burden for you to bear. Here they come, my pet. Brace yourself.”
She could only look down in the position she was in and only saw the
top of three heads in front of her. Oh fuck! They were going to . . . fuck!
Whack, whack, whack.
“Aaaahhhh . . . oh god!” Courtney stiffened, but realized the pain was
not as bad as she had anticipated. They all drew back and struck at the same
time . . . all two whacks. She realized they were going to keep at her in
groups of three the whole time.
 “Bracus, Quinlan, please come and release the clamps. Help her and
suck her nipples . . . they are going to hurt like the devil coming off.”
He stroked her arms and nuzzled her neck. Bracus and Quinlan
looked at each other and released the clamps simultaneously. An ungodly
howl escaped her lips and she slumped weakly against Ruark, arching,
whilst Bracus and Quinlan gently sucked her abused nipples to ease the
blood flow back. It took a while for her to settle and she took a deep breath.
Her voice broke when she whispered, “H-how m-many more?”
“One more, my pet.”
She nodded and waited. Ruark nodded at the Masters but they all
stood unmoving. Quinlan looked at the woman slumped in Ruark’s arms,
then at the Masters and they all nodded.
“My Liege, we believe that your sub has taken enough punishment
and should be repentant by now. We do not wish to continue.”
Ruark’s eyes were hard as he looked at his Masters. They all returned
his stare and knew if he insisted they continue, they would, but in this he
happened to agree. He nodded. Quinlan walked closer and rubbed
Courtney’s hip.
“Courtney. Sub. Are you listening to me?”
“Yes, Master Quin.”
“Do you have something to say to our Liege?”
She turned her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with regret.
“I am sorry my Liege for being so insolent. Please forgive me.”
“Apology accepted, my pet.”
He and Quinlan immediately set out to release her. She did not even
notice when Ruark removed the anal plug, she just fell into his arms when
he released the T-bar at the end. He lifted her, strode to a secluded corner
and sat down. Lindsey was there with a blanket and handed him a tube of
arnica and a bottle of water. He opened the bottle and he forced her to finish
it. He handed it back to Lindsey and immediately soothed the arnica on her
nipples and pussy.
Courtney looked up and asked softly, “Why? Why did you change my
punishment?”
Ruark stared at her and lifted his hand to trace down her cheek.
“This is my Lifestyle, Courtney and I need you to adapt to it, but I
don’t want all of your experiences to be punishment and pain. Your
sassiness is going to be a challenge and punishments will be inevitable, but
I’d be damned if I’ll give you that as ammunition to walk away from me.”
She turned her head and kissed his palm. Ruark’s breath hitched in his
throat at the warm, soft touch of her lips that surged directly to his cock.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
She laid her head against his chest and snuggled closer against him.
His lips were compressed as he wrapped the blanket around her and
drew her against his chest. He continued to rub her back, arms and legs. He
kept talking to her in a strong, soothing voice until she became slack against
him and fell asleep. Kissing the top of her head, he just held her tight.
Lindsey eyed him with a pondering look. She had seen the collar
around Courtney’s neck. It was not the type of collar a Dom would offer to
his temporary sub. It was one of commitment, love and honor. He must
have known when he had it made. Did Courtney even realize what it meant?
Did either of them realize?
She had known Ruark for four years and it was the first time she had
seen him react to a woman as he did toward her sister. Maybe at last both of
them found in each other what they have been searching for.
“Jason, I want you to take her home with you. I need to get distance
between us tonight. She would not deny me and I would not be able to stay
away. She has . . . she needs to rest.”
Jason nodded, noticing the edge in his cousin. He knew Ruark had a
bit of a sadist in him and that the adrenalin was still rushing through him,
that he needed to find a release mechanism for the rush. If she stayed, he
would fuck her and after the punishment, it would be too much.
“Are you going to use another sub?”
Ruark’s eyes shot to his. “Hell no. I’ve waited for three weeks now.
One more day is not going to kill me. It might kill her, but I won’t go to
another when my need is for her.”
“Hmm . . . interesting, cuz. You know what you’re saying?”
Ruark looked down at Courtney and her head fell back over his arm.
He brushed her hair from her face and slowly caressed her cheek. He leaned
down and kissed her lips softly.
“Yeah . . . I am well aware of what I’m saying.” His voice was so soft,
they could barely hear, but the emotion was palpable in his tone.
“Well, we were on our way out. I have an early morning appointment
and Lindsey is a little upset because of Courtney’s punishment.”
Ruark nodded and rose with her in his arms. Lindsey went to collect
her clothes and bag. He got in the shuttle with them and on the boat that
carried them to the docks. He only relinquished his precious load when he
lay her, still sleeping, in the back of Jason’s car. Lindsey hugged him. Only
realizing now how hard it had been for him to watch her suffer through her
punishment.
“She’ll be fine. She is coming home with us and by tomorrow all will
be well.”
“Will it? She has . . . issues, little one. Issues I still have to get past
with her.”
Lindsey’s eyes darkened and she nodded, but did not offer any
information. Her sister will open up to him when the time was right. Ruark
stood watching the disappearing taillights until they turned the corner. He
sighed heavily and got back on the boat. He did not bother going back into
the club. He got into the Jeep he used to drive around on the island and
drove to his home on the other side.
 Chapter Thirteen

Courtney reached toward the ringing phone on her bedside table, not fully
awake. An ominous crash forced her eyes open and she realized she was not
in her own bed. She was in the room she used when staying over at
Lindsey’s. The phone still rang persistently and she swiped her finger over
the screen to answer.
“H’lo.” She was still half asleep and yawned widely.
“Hello My pet.” She gasped and sat up abruptly, only to cry out in
discomfort.
“Oh shit!”
“I guess that answers the question I was about to ask.” Ruark’s voice
sounded stark and dry.
Courtney smiled wryly and tentatively pulled herself into a sitting
position. Her nipples were more than tender. They were super sensitive and
sore. She wiggled her pussy against the bed, but apart from a little
tenderness, it was good.
“I guess I overreacted, somewhat. It’s not that bad.”
He was silent for a moment. “How much time do you need to get
dressed?”
“I . . . why?”
“I’m taking you to lunch.”
“Is it that late already?”
“It is nearly twelve, my pet.”
“I guess you punished me to sleep. Next time you should try
something that keeps me awake.”
Ruark did not laugh and Courtney sobered. She wondered if that
meant he was upset or angry.
“Are you still at Jason’s?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll pick you up in forty-five minutes.”
The moment he ended the call, she sprinted into action, albeit with a
groan as her nipples complained with a stinging pinch from every
movement. At that moment, Lindsey peeked in and smiled when she
noticed Courtney in the bathroom.
“Morning sleepyhead. How are you feeling?”
 “I’m fine and you.”
“Don’t give me that sarcastic look. I am not the one that got nipple
and pussy whipped by angry Doms. Is it very bad?”
“I am really fi . . .”
“Sis, I have been in the scene for over four years. There is no way you
are not in pain this morning.”
“They are very protective over their Liege. How long have they been
friends?”
“Sloan, Quin, Bracus, the Wolf twins and Ruark grew up together.
They were in Special Ops together. And yes, they are all very protective
over Ruark. Especially after the Vietnam story.”
“Sub, are you blabbering about something you have no right to?”
Lindsey frowned at her fiancé who scowled at her from the door. She
shrugged. “I was just . . .”
“Just nothing. If Ruark wants her to know about that time of his life,
he will tell her himself. You now have thirty minutes, Courtney.” He turned
and walked away. Lindsey turned to her.
“Thirty minutes for what?”
“Ruark is picking me up for lunch. Do you perhaps have something I
could borrow? A nice . . . dress, maybe?”
Lindsey’s jaw dropped. “You want to borrow a dress . . . a DRESS?
To wear?”
“Why is that so strange?”
“You never wear dresses, that’s why. Okay, okay. I have a nice dark
purple mini that should fit you fine. Get in that shower, I’ll get what you
need.”
In the end, Ruark had to wait ten minutes for her, but it was worth
every one of them. She took his breath away when she appeared in the door.
The tight-fitting dark purple, sleeveless mini dress molded to her curves and
her hips swayed seductively as she walked. Her legs appeared to be endless
with the silver high-heeled sandals, which gave that extra sexy shape to her
calves, on her feet. His hands ached to wrap the loose luxurious strands of
her hair between his fingers. Natural makeup enhanced her beauty and the
shiny lip balm on her lips set off a tingled in his cock. His collar shone
around her neck and his heartbeat increased to such an extent he could hear
the rat-a-tat in his own ears. Only one thought flashed thought his mind.
Mine. All mine.
 He had not even had sex with her yet, but he knew she was what he
wanted . . . needed in his life. Ruark was known in the business world for
taking what he wanted and there was no obstacle too big to overcome.
There wouldn’t be one this time either.
He rose from the couch with primal grace, stalked toward her,
catching her face between his large hands and pulled her face up to his. His
lips closed over hers and he kissed her softly and tenderly . . . oh so
tenderly. Courtney’s breath caught in her throat, her heart rate and blood
pressure competing for soaring the highest. He drew small circles beneath
her chin with his thumb, a touch so simple, but so intimate that shivers
rolled down her back. His other hand curled around her neck to slowly trace
down her back, closing around her ass, he lifted her up and pressed her hard
against him. Her moan as her nipples were crushed against his chest was
swallowed in his mouth and his kiss became harder, demanding, then wild
and deep. When he lifted his head, they were both out of breath and every
nerve ending in Courtney’s body was supercharged. He wound her up to be
on the verge of an explosive orgasm so quickly and so easily.
She ran her fingers over his cheek and circled his lips. Her voice was
soft, her eyes smoky.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” He trailed his fingers over the collar around her neck and his
eyes found hers again. He growled low and deep. “Mine.”
“So, are you only going to greet your sub, or do I stand the chance of
the same courtesy?”
Ruark lowered her and smiled when her mouth pulled painfully. She
caught the smile and her eyes popped up to his. He caught her arms behind
her back and lowered her further, pressing her nipples hard against him at
the same time. She cried out and shut her eyes. Then she glared at him.
“You really are a sadist!”
“Am I? Or am I purely responding to your smell of arousal? Which is
slowly driving me insane, by the way.”
Courtney blushed and cleared her throat, desperately searching for
something to balance her equilibrium. Ruark did not say anything further,
just turned to greet Jason with a grin. Lindsey just glared at him. Jason
looked down at her with his mouth grim.
“Lindsey. Do not let me have to inform the Senior Masters that you
were disrespectful toward your Liege as well. And I won’t be watching.
Trust me, darling. I will wield that pussy whip myself.”
She paled. “Afternoon, my Liege. I trust you slept well.”
“No. I did not sleep at all. Shall we go, Courtney?”
He was quiet all the way to the restaurant and she watched him
covertly as he walked around the front of his Bugatti Veyron sports car to
open the door for her. Lord, he was an attractive man. He opened the door
and pinned her in her seat with a questioning look.
“What are you wearing under that dress, my pet?”
“A thong.”
“Take it off.”
“Ruark―”
“Now.” His voice lowered and Courtney wiggled in the seat to
quickly pull the thong off, mumbling all the while. Hopefully no one
noticed or realized what she was doing. He took the thong from her and
stuffed it in his black pants pocket, before heading inside. He waited until
their orders were placed before he looked at her.
“Now tell me, how do you feel?” His eyes seared into her, the concern
clearly discernable in his gaze. His face appeared neutral, yet as stern as
when he became the full-on Dom at the club. Courtney sighed and laid her
hand over his, where it rested on top of the table. He turned his hand and
gripped hers within it.
“Are you always so . . . so Dom-like? Don’t you ever relax?”
“Courtney.”
She sighed and stroked her thumb over his palm. “I am fine. My
pussy is tender but not sore. And I guess you already know what my breasts
feel like.”
“That was not what I asked. It is to be expected that you are tender
and sore after the punishment you received. I need to know how you feel
about the fact that you were punished by the Senior Masters.”
“I . . . I was angry and hurt when you laid such a heavy punishment
on me, but when Quinlan said they did not believe it was sufficient . . . I
only realized then how wrong my actions were. I guess I just never realized
the power you wield in the community. How respected and revered you are
by all of them.”
“That is what you need to understand, Courtney. It is what I am. I
don’t just play now and then. I am a Dominant. In all aspects of my life.
Professionally and privately. I was raised that way, I did not just grow into it
or wake up one day and decided I wanted to play in the BDSM scene. I will
never change, it is who and what I am. Not for anyone who doesn’t follow
the rules, including you. I will not be more lenient with you because of the
position you have in my life. I daresay you will suffer many similar
punishments in the years to come.”
“Which means I am a bad submissive and a disgrace to you.” She
chose to ignore his reference to years to come, even though her heartbeat
sped up.
“No, Baby. After last night, you are widely respected.”   He ran his
hands through his hair and sighed. “I do not want you to change who you
are, my pet. In fact, I will be highly pissed if you do.”
“I’m afraid I am clueless, then. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t want a ‘yes Sir’ ‘no Sir’ sub all day long. It will drive me out
of my mind. I enjoy your sharp mind, the way you challenge me, even the
way you sass everyone. As long as you realize there will be consequences
whenever you overstep the boundaries, especially at the club. And I really,
really like to hear you scream and make you cry. But not necessarily in
pain.”
He remained quiet then and watched her watch him. Allowing
everything he said to sink in, for her to realize who and what he was. What
she would be dealing with from this point forward. Because whether she
realized it or not, the choice had been taken away from her. She was his and
that was not going to change. She smiled briefly and then said tongue in
cheek.
“Well, I guess you have to keep looking then. I’m not allowed to call
you Sir. In fact, I have been punished for not calling you ‘my Liege’. But
should I ever be elevated to calling you Sir, be sure to let me know. You
never know, I might just be interested.”
“Courtney.”
“Yes, Ruark?”
His eyebrows rose. “Did I give you permission to call me Ruark?”
Her eyes widened. “You mean even outside of the club . . .”
“Did you miss half of the conversation we just had, my pet?”
Her eyes widened ever further. He chuckled. “I will allow one slip,
my pet. But do remember in future. You do know what the punishment
would be.”
 “But . . . I like calling you by your name. Especially when we’re
alone.”
“There will be alone time when I’d like to hear my name on your lips,
but you’ve distracted me, sub. Come and sit on my lap.”
Courtney glanced around the restaurant. They were at a table in the
corner, but not secluded. His eyes hardened at her hesitation. She let out a
heavy drawn out sigh, but rose and walked around the table. Their salads
arrived just as Ruark pulled her down on his lap. He indicated to the smiling
waiter to place both in front of him.
“You’ll have to feed me, my pet.”
“Why?”
“My hands will be otherwise occupied.”
Ruark . . . my Liege, please not here. Oh, lord.”
She gasped when he stroked a hot line up her thigh, all the way to her
hip, taking her dress with him.
“Feed me, sub. I’m hungry. Spread your legs, pet. Wider.”
Courtney leaned forward to spear some of his salad on the fork and
jerked when he slowly stroked a lazy circle around her clit. She moaned as
he narrowed the circle and pressed on her clit. She clutched his shirt in her
hand and leaned into him.
“Sore, Baby?”
“A little.”
“Good. I would have hated find out my Senior Masters had held back
on your punishment.”
“Ooohh . . . please don’t.”
“Now here is the thing, my pet. We both know how loud you get
when you climax and I expect to hear you this time as well.”
“No. I beg you. Not here.”
He looked into her eyes and smiled. “You beg so prettily, sub. Very
well.”  Courtney sighed with relief. “But only if you go to the restroom and
insert the anal plug I have in my pocket.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re not serious? I have never . . . you know
last night was the first time ever . . . I wouldn’t be able to . . .”
“I am sure you will manage just fine. Make your choice. I am
famished.” She leaned forward and grabbed her large tote bag.
“Give it here.”
 He chuckled and handed her a slightly broader anal plug than the one
he had used the night before, as well as a packet of lube. She jammed the
items in her bag and got up grumbling about an overbearing, demanding,
hotshot Dom.
There was a beguiling blush on her face when she returned to the
table, and walked with slow, measured steps. The plug was much broader
and a tad longer than first one, so he knew being a virgin in that territory,
how difficult it was to walk properly. He needed to stretch her asshole and
he needed to do it fast. Once he started to fuck her, he would not be able to
resist fucking her in the ass as hard and as often as he planned to fuck her
pussy.
She took her seat and wiggled uncomfortably, her breath snagging in
her throat as the butt plug pressed deeper into her at her movements. He
waited until she picked up her fork and speared some of her salad in her
mouth. He flipped the switch on the remote in his pocket. Courtney yelped
and jumped, nearly spitting out the salad in the process.
“You . . . you . . . oohh. Stop that.”
His eyebrows rose and he increased the speed of the vibrations. Her
eyes widened and she gripped the side of the table.
“Now, my pet. Tell me about growing up.”
She glowered at him. Bloody asshole! He expected her to make idle
conversation while she was sitting on a butt plug, vibrating furiously in her
ass, awakening every nerve in her pussy to sizzle with need. She panted as
the plug started to pulse hard. She gulped, dug her fingernails into the
surface of the table. The combined pulsing and vibration had her flooded in
seconds.
“Please stop.”
“As long as it takes you to start talking I will increase the setting, my
pet. It has twenty. It’s on four now.”
She started talking, albeit haltingly and sometimes stopping to force a
climax back, glaring at his smiling face.
“Eat, my pet. You’re going to need your energy tonight. And you may
continue. What happened when your Mom caught you with him in the
closet?”
“She was angrier than I have ever seen her. She . . . ooohh, fuck.”
“That’s sixteen. You may not come, sub.”
She tried to breathe through it. Forcing the climax down.
 “I am talking. You’re not supposed to increase the setting.”
“I never said I wouldn’t.”
She scowled at him and, in an attempt to avoid talking, immediately
attacked her steak when it arrived. At least he took pity on her and did not
increase the setting. But, she was so aroused she was too scared to move.
She knew the slightest touch against her clit would set her off. She never
knew how many nerve endings were connected to her ass. How stimulation
there would build her arousal to bursting heights. Mind-boggling.
Ruark took some money out of his wallet and threw it on the table,
even before they were finished with their meal. He finished first and made
idle conversation, while watching her intently. She swallowed the last bite
of her meal and reached for the water glass - Ruark cranked the setting to its
maximum. Her eyes widened, her hand slammed down on the table and she
arched back, a scream echoing through the restaurant.
Fuck, she was beautiful when she came!
Ruark got out of the booth and tenderly picked up the weak woman
and carried her to his car. A wide, satisfied smile on his face.
“You’re a fucking bastard. I will never forgive you.”
“That’s seventeen.”
She glowered at him once they were on their way. “What’s with the
counting?”
“I’m keeping count of all the times you curse in my presence, my
pet.”
“Why?”
“Because I intend to break you of the habit. Don’t worry, my pet. I
don’t count the times when you’re climaxing. Those times are
understandable, others not so much.”
“W-what do you intend to do?”
“Still thinking about it. But it will be something . . . intimate. The
higher the count goes however, the more . . . parties will be involved. So, I
would start putting a muzzle on my mouth if I were you.”
Courtney looked at him with a horrified expression on her face.
 
 Chapter Fourteen

There was no theme party for Saturday night and Courtney was still angry
enough at Ruark for making her come in a public restaurant, that she once
again, threw caution to the wind.
Lindsey looked at her with wide eyes when she opened the door for
them.
“Sis, are you sure you don’t want to go put something else on? Or we
can go fetch something of mine?”
“Why? What is wrong with what I am wearing?”
“Ehm   . . .   nothing. But it’s not in line with what is expected from
trainees.”
“We’re supposed to dress sexy. Is this not sexy, Jason?” She twirled in
front of them. Jason chuckled. This woman was just what Ruark needed in
his life.
“Very sexy indeed, Courtney.”
“See? He’s a Dom. He should know. Now let’s get going. I am
probably already in trouble for being late as it is.”
“Then why did you ask us to pick you up? What time were you
supposed to be there?”
“Six.”
“Oh, you are so looking for trouble! I get the impression you like to
be punished.”
“Only by a certain person.”
Jason laughed. “Yeah, but you know as well as I do that you have to
report to Quinlan at six for briefing every night.   He would be the one
dishing out punishment for being late, not Ruark.”
“Shit. I forgot about that.”
By the time they reached the club and walked into the massive
entertainment room, Courtney had resigned herself to the fact that Quinlan
would punish her. She was over two hours late, so she knew it was bound to
be a heavy punishment. She searched for Quinlan in the crowd, which was
already sizeable despite being early in club terms. She groaned aloud when
she found him standing next to Ruark, Bracus, Sloan and Hagan. What
fucking luck!
 Ruark watched her approach with a little quirk on his mouth. She was
still pissed at him. Her defiant dress code could not have said it more
loudly. Not that she did not look sexy as hell in a pair of ass hugging
bootlegged jeans, which hung very low on her hips, paired with a glittering
green halter top. It was far removed from the nakedness expected from subs
and trainees. More skin, especially legs and boobs was what they were
instructed to wear. Someone called her name and she turned around.
“Fuck, that’s hot.” Quinlan’s voice was raspy.
She wore a thong that was clearly visible above the low-slung jeans.
The strings that held the thong in place were made of small pearls,
including the ones that disappeared into the crack of her ass cheeks. His
cock hardened even more, pressing so hard against his jeans that it would
probably leave a permanent impression of the zipper on his skin.
Reaching them, she folded her hands behind her back and mumbled
softly. A perfect sub stance.
“Master Quinlan, my apologies for my arriving so late.”
 
“You know very well what time you are supposed to arrive, sub. Why
are you late?” Quinlan kept his voice stern.
“Ehm . . . my car would not start, Master Q and I had to wait for my
sister to pick me up.”
Ruark forced her eyes to his with a finger below her chin and looked
into her amused eyes intently. Bloody imp. She was blatantly lying and she
knew he knew.
“I see. Are you going to claim your cell phone battery was dead and
you could not phone to inform me of your problem?”
“Oh no, Master Q! Then I would be lying! But I will tell you that I . .
. dropped my phone in my bath water . . . ahum . . . and it would not work.”
Ruark had to cover his mouth to keep his smile from breaking
through, but Bracus, Sloan and Hagan burst out laughing. Even Courtney
had a smile on her face. Quinlan had a hard time remaining the stern and
immovable Dom amongst them. He looked at her with narrowed eyes.
“It seems you are no worse for wear after your punishment last night,
sub. Are you ready for another?”
“Punishment, Master Q? Why? I could not control the
circumstances.”
 “You do not have neighbors that you could have asked to call you a
taxi or even the concierge in your building?”
Courtney looked at him with utter amazement shining in her eyes.
“You know Master Q, that is a brilliant suggestion. I will most definitely
remember that for the next time.”
“Unfortunately sub, it would be unfair to the other trainees if I did not
reprimand you for your tardiness. Whatever the reason.”
Her shoulders slumped. Damn! She should have gone for the
menstrual cramp excuse instead. She lowered her eyes, lest he saw the
mirth in hers and made her suffer even worse. Quinlan looked at Ruark and
just shrugged his shoulders. He would not interfere. Tardiness was
Quinlan’s responsibility. His eyes caught the collar around her neck and
Quinlan sighed. That, right there, was it. The one thing that would alter her
punishment. Ruark noticed the battle within Quinlan. He pulled him aside
and waited for the outburst.
“Fuck Ruark. Pull her out of the trainee program. You’re killing me!”
“I will not interfere, Quin. The only restriction is intimacy. Any
intimacy. Other than that, you do what needs to be done.”
“Yeah and in the process, she gets to hate me. Is that what you want?”
Ruark frowned. He knew what Quinlan was asking. They had always
shared subs before and he clearly expected to do the same this time.
Ruark sighed heavily. “Quin, I haven’t even fucked her myself. I can’t
give you an answer. All I know is that she is mine and I intend to keep her.”
Quinlan stared at Ruark in shock. “You shitting me? It’s been three
weeks! Fuck, how did you manage that?”
“Oh, it ends tonight, Quin. It has been agony. But to get what I need
from her, to make sure she acknowledges her own need for me openly, I’ve
had to keep her on the edge. Keep your eyes peeled. The moment she does,
it comes to an end. There are . . . issues with her that I need to help her
overcome or . . . I will lose her. Tonight, is the first step.”
“Very well. Sub, get over here.” Quinlan turned toward Courtney and
waved her closer.
Courtney walked over in proper sub mode and stopped in front of
them, her eyes on the floor. “Yes, Master Q?” He chose to ignore her
shortened use of his name. He actually liked it. “Are you ready for your
punishment, sub?”
“Yes, Master Q.”
 “On your knees in front of my Liege.” Ruark’s head snapped up, but
Quinlan gave him an innocent smile. Courtney dutifully went down on her
knees in front of him. “Remove your top, sub.”
She hesitated only a moment and then removed her top. The shelf bra
was obviously a set with the thong. The bra tied around her back and neck
with pearl strings and the cups were in a dusted silver and lace that just
barely covered her coral pink nipples. The collar completed her stunning
appearance. She handed the top to Quinlan.
“My Liege has been much stressed lately, sub. I need you to get him
to relax. Your job is to first, take his cock into your mouth . . . all the way
down your throat. I want to see him disappear completely. Then . . .”
“You’re kidding, right? Have you seen the size of him?”
This time all five men burst out laughing and she glowered at them,
especially at Ruark, whose eyes glittered with mirth.
“Then you will suck him off . . . but here is the thing, sub. He has
some serious plans for later, so you make sure he does not come. If he does,
I get to fuck you.”
The look on her face was one of horror. She looked at Ruark begging
silently. His face was impassive.
“W-when was the last time you g-got off properly, my Liege?” Lord,
not that she wanted to know. Especially if it was in the three weeks since
she met him.
“Apart from you yesterday, by myself or with a woman?”
“You are overstepping your boundaries, sub. It has no bearing on this
punishment. Get on with it. Keep your hands behind your back.” Quinlan
snapped at her.
Courtney remembered how quickly he climaxed the previous night
when she sucked him off and she really, really only wanted him to fuck her.
She looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Please, my Liege. Do not come. I beg you.” It warmed Ruark’s heart.
She as much as admitted in front of everyone, that he was the one she
wanted to fuck her.
“One more thing sub. If it appears as if you are not sucking him off
properly, I will give your tits a swat.”  
Ruark saw her wince. Her nipples were still sore from the night
before. Courtney sighed and leaned forward to remove his fully aroused
cock from his black jeans. She licked his head slowly and curled her tongue
around the tip. Clutching her hands behind her back,  she pressed forward
until she started to gag and pulled back, sucking as she released him.
Ruark’s hands fisted. Fuck! He was going to kill Quinlan.
Courtney put as much effort in licking and sucking his cock as she did
the previous night and her hot mouth drove him insane. She kept pressing
down further, taking him deeper each time, but she was struggling. He
gripped her hair and instructed softly.
“Relax your jaw, my pet. That’s good. Now flatten your tongue. Good
girl. When you’re comfortable, start swallowing me.” Courtney followed
his instructions and soon her nose caressed the soft skin of his groin. Fuck,
the sight was amazing. His whole cock swallowed deep down her throat.
His balls started to pull up and he closed his eyes, fisting his hands
painfully in her hair. She frantically shook her head, her eyes pleading with
him. Tears started rolling down her cheeks from the exertion of keeping his
size down her throat.
“Stop.”
She pulled away immediately, panting and gagging a little, her eyes
on Ruark. He took a step sideways and landed a straight punch directly to
Quinlan’s solar plexus, who grunted and staggered back. The Senior
Masters that were standing around roared with laughter. Ruark closed his
pants, leaned down and pulled Courtney to her feet. He circled her face with
his hands and kissed her, demanding her immediate submission and she did
not hesitate. His tongue swept deep, possessed her, consumed her and she
sighed into the kiss.
He drew away and tenderly dried her tears, but his face gave nothing
away. “You did well, my pet.”
He turned to face Quinlan, who smiled at him ruefully, rubbing his
stomach.
“Sub, do you have something to say to Master Quinlan.”
“I am sorry for my tardiness, Master Quinlan.”
“Apology accepted, sub. She is yours now, my Liege. I need to go and
oversee one of the trainee’s scenes.”
He handed her top to Ruark and sauntered away. Courtney looked at
him through her lashes.
“What serious plans was Master Q referring to, my Master?”
He contemplated her for a moment. Fuck his cock was killing him.
He needed to do something to draw his attention away from his arousal and
his desperate need for this woman.
“You have only ever felt the lash in punishment, my pet.  For our
scene tonight, I’d like to give you the experience of an erotic flogging.
Follow me.”
More spanking? When is he ever going to fuck me? God, I need this
man!
Courtney was so frustrated it was not even funny. He had been
building her desire for him for the past three weeks, giving her so many
climaxes she lost count, but withheld the one thing she needed above all
else. Him. He was the reason she kept coming back. The reason she
accepted all the punishments. Courtney needed him to see how much she
was willing to give to him, willingly and freely.
“Fucking waste of my time so far.”
“Did you say something, my pet?”
“Not a word, my Liege. I . . . I don’t like this thing,” she said when
she noticed where he had stopped. They were standing in front of the Saint
Andrews Cross. But this one was custom made. It consisted of a massive
round steel frame within which the cross was centered, made from solid
oak. There were additional sections where a Dom could cuff a sub’s legs in
line with her hips spreading her pussy totally open. The best thing about this
cross was that the sub was tied to bars that were separate from the actual
cross. Those bars could be pulled forward and the sub turned around
without untying him or her from the cross, if he wanted to swap from back
to front.
He turned to her, brushed his finger down her cheek, lifted her chin
and he frowned at her.
“Do you never pay attention in the classes you attend with Quinlan,
sub?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Really? I promised you an erotic flogging, not a punishment. Has he
not explained or showed you the difference?”
“All I saw was the same thing. A sub being flogged and being flogged
is painful.”
“Then it will be my pleasure to show you the difference, my pet. I
daresay, you will enjoy it.”
“Gmphf . . . all you have done is punish me since I got here. I am
starting to think I’m never going to get any pleasure.”
 He yanked her against his body and rubbed her upper body hard
against his chest. She cried out and drew in her breath. Fuck, her nipples
were sore!
“No pleasure, my pet? None whatsoever?”
She clamped her mouth shut. That was not the kind of pleasure she
was referring to! She wanted sex. She wanted him deep inside her, fucking
her!
“Courtney.” Shit! She hated that damn Dom voice. No matter what, it
always made her lips flap and she blabbered things she should not.
“That is not the kind of pleasure I need.”
He was elated she used the word need and not want. His eyebrows
rose. She pouted her lips. Silence is golden after all, or so they said. But,
then again, he was the King of Doms. He did not believe in such a
philosophy.
“My pet?”
Shit, shit, shit! If he had used any other word, but that and in that deep
intense voice, she would have been able to keep quiet.
“I need you. I need to feel your cock buried deep inside me . . .
making me . . . yours.”  Fuck! She did not intend to say that. The flare in his
eyes was the first sign he had ever given her of any kind of emotion. Maybe
what she was feeling was not as totally one sided as she thought.
“Strip.”
She gaped at him. Even after what she had said! “Really? Are you are
really still going to flog me?”
A small smile played around his lips. He placed his toy bag on the
chair against the wall and pulled out a flogger with long tails.
“Stop wasting time, sub. Get naked.”
Courtney walked to the corner and slowly unclipped the bra and took
it off, still facing Ruark. His eyes dropped to her breasts and he took a deep
breath. She turned around and wiggled, literally wiggled her jeans over her
hips, then bent over at the waist with straight legs and pushed them slowly
all the way down her legs before she stepped out of them. Still bent over
with her legs straight. She straightened, wiggled her pearl thong over her
hips and once again pushed it down her legs bending over with her legs
straight. Offering him a view few men had ever had the honor of seeing.
She turned around and walked toward the cross, smiling slightly when
she noticed the bulge in his pants. Got you, buster! She stepped up to the
cross and looked up at it.
She said to Ruark again, “I really, really don’t like this thing.”
“I plan to change your mind, my pet.”
Assisting her in place against the cross, he pulled her hands up,
clipped her wrist cuffs to the separate bar just above the cross and knelt to
do the same with her ankles. Brushing her hair forward over her shoulder,
he slowly ran his hands down her back and over her ass with tantalizing
warm caresses. His fingers feathered over her pussy, teasing her clit with a
rough fingertip. Courtney moaned and pressed her hips further back.
Ruark chuckled. “Such an eager little sub.”
He walked back to his bag and picked up his flogger. She felt him
behind her and closed her eyes. He brushed the flogger up her legs, her ass
and her back on one side and down the other side of her body. She could
smell the scent of leather as he caressed her arms and shoulder with the
flogger and continued until she had goose bumps all over her body. Her skin
was so sensitive that each small caress pulsed and thrilled through her.
He brushed the flogger against her butt, and then the strands flipped
across her bottom in the first strike. She jerked, but it did not hurt, or even
sting. Instead, it was like tiny hammers that thudded against her skin. He
flicked the flogger down her legs and on the outsides of her thighs. As the
lashes tapped slowly toward her inner thighs, she shook her head, feeling
her arousal building higher and higher inside her core.
Ruark tucked the handle of the flogger in his belt and reached around
Courtney to stroke her belly. He drew slow circles over her stomach and
closed his hands around the bottom of her breasts to knead them softly. She
drew a deep breath.
“Please, honey, they still hurt.”
Fuck that nearly undid him. That one word, uttered so naturally and it
sounded so right coming from her lips. He nibbled her earlobe.
“I know, my pet.”
He kept caressing her breasts, but avoided her nipples and areolae,
smiling as she moaned. Her nipples pebbled into hard aroused nubs.
Growling he bit sharply into the muscle at the base of her throat and she
cried out in surprise.
“Are you wet, my pet?”
“Fuck yes!”
“That is eighteen.”  
 He pulled his hands away. The flogger struck again, up and down her
legs, then over her ass. There was now a distinctive sting to the thudding
sensation. It was still not really hurting. He started a pattern. Over her
shoulders lightly and her hips. Each time the strands landed just a little
harder.
Then he struck her inner thighs. The sensations zoomed straight to her
clit. Her legs tensed and she rocked forward against the cross. Ruark
smiled, but did not stop. The leather strands hit her back. Each blow made
the burning sensation and need in her pussy worse and she felt like crying.
She was swamped by sensations, the need coursing through her. She
whimpered when she felt his hand caressing her ass, and then he stroked the
V between her legs. Courtney moaned and wiggled with need building
inside her as rapidly as a rising tide. He pressed a finger inside her and
rolled it deeper, causing a wailing gasp to explode from her lips, as she
pressed back against him eager for more.
“Are you ready, my pet?”
He moved away before she could answer and he started flogging her
again, down her back, bottom and thighs. The multiple strands stroked up
and down her back so evenly, Courtney timed her breathing to the rhythm.
He used the flogger in a figure-eight pattern, hitting one side, then the other,
making sure to avoid her spine and kidneys with impressive skill.
Suddenly he altered the pattern and flicked the strokes between her
legs, right into her pussy. Courtney gasped. The next lash went to her
thighs, gradually moving the blows upward, harder than before. Again, a
slap of the strands between her legs. Courtney squeaked and then moaned.
He moved up her back, down her thighs and back up slowly. With the final
lash, Ruark hit her pussy hard. She shrieked, her eyes dancing wildly at the
pleasure that gripped her core and she climaxed, writhing against the cross.
There was applause and, for the first time, Courtney realized there
was a group of people that stood watching. Ruark unclipped the cuffs and
she sighed into his body when he picked her up and placed her on the
comfortable chair to one side. He came back a moment later and made her
stand in front of him. He smoothed arnica all over her back, butt and legs.
Although Courtney was relatively sure it was not necessary. Her back and
ass had a wonderfully warm, tingling sting, but it did not hurt.
“Open your legs.”  He quickly dried her juices from her and threw the
towel in a bin to one side. He pulled her down on his lap and wrapped a
light blanket around her. She snuggled into his chest and sighed.
“So, my pet. How did you find this flogging?”
“I prefer not to answer.”
“And why is that?”
“I would not want you to develop an elevated opinion of yourself.”
Ruark laughed and tweaked a nipple and she yelped. “I know I am
skilled with the flogger, my pet. As I am with the strap and even more so
with the whip. I have trained most of the Masters here to use them as well.”
“A whip too?”
He looked down into her eyes, his interest triggered. He was elated by
what he read in her eyes. He swooped down to kiss her with ravishing
passion. Courtney moaned into his mouth. Her body was wound as tight as
a wire. Yes, she just climaxed, but it was not the type of climax her body
craved.
“Soon, my pet. I just need you to trust me a little more. Then we’ll do
the whip.”
Master Bracus LeLuc walked up and nodded at Ruark. He was a
gorgeous muscle palace, like all the other Senior Masters, but he was one of
the more reserved ones. He had a closed look on his face most of the time
and hardly smiled, apart from a skewed grin now and then.
“Apologies, my Liege. There is a lady at the reception that is adamant
you invited her here tonight. She is making quite a scene.”
Ruark felt Courtney stiffen in his arms and he smiled. His little sub
was jealous.
“Does this lady have a name, Bracus?”
“It’s Lilian du Pont.”
“Damn.” Now Courtney sat up and pulled the blanket tighter around
her body. From his reaction, it was clear he did indeed know the woman.
“I invited her probably three months ago, yes. How many people did
she bring with her?”
“She is alone, but is adamant that she is here as your personal guest
and demands to be . . . entertained by you.”
Courtney struggled to get off his lap, but he smacked her bottom. “Sit
still.” He searched her face, but she had turned it away from him. And so,
comes all well laid plans to rest they say. He’d be damned if he allowed an
empty-headed bimbo to fuck this night up for him. He was done waiting.
He needed to fuck this woman and tonight was the night.
 “Deal with her, Bracus. If she does not want to find someone to play
with on her own, show her the door. I have other plans for tonight.”
He nodded and strolled away. Ruark looked at Courtney who was still
sitting as stiff as a board on his lap. He waved one of the waitresses closer
and took two bottles of vitamin water from her.
“Lesley, please gather Courtney’s clothes and her tote bag and ask one
of the guards at the door to put them in my Jeep.
“My Master, I can’t walk around naked the rest of the night.”
“You can’t? I happen to disagree my pet. Now drink the whole bottle
of vitamin water. You are going to need it. I have an intense hour or so
planned for you.”   He waited until she had finished the water before he
pushed her off his lap, took the blanket from her shoulders, folded it and
threw it on the chair. He brushed her hair back over her shoulders with
tender fingers.
“Take the correct posture, my pet and follow me.”
She gripped her hands behind her back and followed him out of the
dungeon and up the stairs toward the entertainment area. Occasionally he
was stopped by some guests who wanted to ask him questions or just
wanted to chat. He politely accommodated all of them. Eventually they
reached the bar.
Just then, there was a shriek and the next moment a tall redhead
wearing a silver bikini threw herself into Ruark’s arms. Courtney growled,
but relaxed when he immediately ripped her arms from around his neck and
pushed her back. Bracus’s arms immediately closed around hers from
behind.
“Lilian, I do not appreciate being mauled by a sub. It is unacceptable
behavior, not only in my club, but also everywhere in our community. You
are well aware of that. You also know who I am, which makes your actions
more reprehensible. You are hereby banned from any of my clubs and be
assured I will address this issue at the next BDSM Forum conference.”
She paled and tried to apologize, but he was not to be moved. He
nodded at Bracus who immediately handed her to a guard.
“Escort her off the property and make sure she never returns.”
He sighed, realizing he was perhaps too harsh, but he’d had it with
interference and his intentions to make Courtney his.
Ruark drew Courtney into his arms and turned her around so that her
back was toward him. He pushed her against the bar and she sucked a
breath in at the cold of the stainless steel against her heated skin. He stroked
her arms, sides and hips before he circled her waist to clasp her breasts in
his hands.
He nodded at Quinlan, who efficiently fastened her wrist cuffs to the
steel frame on the inside of the bar counter. She was now lying with the top
of her body on the counter and her butt sticking in the air. She moaned
when Ruark clipped her ankle cuffs to chains connected to the footrest in
front of the bar. Her feet were spread wide apart. Her pussy was visible to
every person that cared to look. She dropped her forehead on the bar
counter and moaned low. God, she had become an exhibitionist!
Ruark leaned his warm body over hers and whispered in her ear.
“Are you ready, Baby?”
“For what?”
“To get fucked by me. Hard, fast and deep.”
 Chapter Fifteen

Courtney gasped and just like that, her pussy flooded with need. Oh, thank
the lord! Wait! Now? Here? Like this, in front of everyone?
“M-my Liege?”
“You heard me, sub.”
“B-but here? With everyone watching?”
“I always knew you were clever.”
“It is not funny, Ruark . . . I mean, my Liege!”
“I would never joke about this, Baby. I fucking need you too much. It
needs to be here and only once you beg me and give me the answer I need.”
Dread filled Courtney. Begging she could do. Fuck yes, she needed
him too much not to, but answer . . . what answer?
She heard keys tingle and then felt him unlock the collar from around
her neck. Why was he taking it off? Suddenly she felt naked. Really naked,
alone and . . . lost. She started to panic. What was he saying to her?
At the same time, she realized that the massive entertainment room
had gone quiet. Everyone was watching them. Courtney cringed. Oh lord, if
only they would carry on with what they were doing, but no one seemed
interested in that. Ruark slowly stroked his hands up and down her back,
down her sides and up all the way to her hands. Her skin sizzled
everywhere he touched, the blood in her veins swirling heatedly in
anticipation. He uncurled her fists and gently massaged her hands.
“Relax, my pet.”
His rough fingertips intensified the sensations rushing through her
body. Her skin was super sensitized, her blood now burning like a bubbling
volcano in her veins. Even her toes cramped in anticipation. He caressed her
bottom and trailed his fingers down her thighs, all the way to her feet and
back up to her hands. There was not an inch of skin that wasn’t exposed to
his touch.
“Both of our STD tests are clean. I need to know, my pet, are you still
on the pill?”
Courtney nodded as if in a daze. He nibbled her ear, and then softly
kissed the vein throbbing wildly in her throat.
“Club rules are clear on condoms, but here and now I want . . . I need
to feel you . . . your skin around me.”
 “Yes. Oh, sweet Jesus, yes.”
“Thank you, Baby.”
Courtney moaned when his lips seared a path of heat down her spine
over her one ass cheek down the back of her leg and up her inner thigh. He
kissed and nibbled his way across to the other cheek and down the other leg
then headed back up on the inside of her thigh.
“Oh, please.”
“Please what, my pet.”
“Please touch me.”
“Patience, my pet.”
She groaned and shrieked in surprised when he nipped sharply on the
inside of her thigh, very close to her groin. He pulled her legs further apart
and her moans increased in volume. He kissed a fiery path on the inside
crease of her legs, from the bottom end to the front and back on the other
side.
“Ah, my pet. You are so wet, I can see your juices, and you smell like
honey and peaches. Are you going to give me what I need, Baby?”
“Yes. Oh yes.”
He chuckled and she mewled when his tongue flicked out to lick over
her clit. Back and forth, until she danced her hips against his mouth. He
licked up toward her ass, spearing his tongue inside briefly and she cried
out in need.
“Please my Liege. Please.”
“Please what, my pet.”
“Please take me. I can’t take anymore! I need you. I need you so
much. Please, my Liege, I beg you.”
“Baby, you just made me the happiest man here and I am going to
take you, but first I need an answer.”
“Yes, anything. Please.”
He chuckled. “Oh no, my pet. This one is not that easy. Are you
paying attention, Baby?”
“Y-yes.” Courtney fisted her hands in frustration. Her need for him
was ripping her apart and she felt like crying. God knows she had never felt
such desire, such lust, such passion and such driving need for a man in all
her life. Then his voice penetrated her train of thoughts over the club’s
sound system.
 “Attention all. For those of you who are not aware, this beautiful
naked woman is my submissive, Courtney Sears. She has just very sweetly
begged me to take her and I intend to do exactly as she asked. However, my
position within our community compels me to ensure you all accept my
choice in my future life mate. I already have the approval of the Senior
Masters. So, I ask you now. Do all of you present offer me your approval of
Courtney Sears becoming my life mate?”
As if in one voice, everyone present thundered ‘YES’. Courtney had
stopped breathing when he started talking and by the time he stopped
talking she was panting for breath.
What was he doing? What did he mean by life mate? She had told
him. She had told him she did not do relationships. She had told him!
Even with the thoughts and pain of impending loss that washed
through her, her body throbbed with need. A body that was in total
contradiction with her mind and was rejecting every word she heard. She
shook her head and tears fell on the shiny stainless steel top. His hands
reached around her to tenderly caress her breasts and she moaned through
her tears. Her hips desperately pressing back against his hard cock.
“Baby, are you still with me?”
His voice was still loud over the sound system, even though he had
placed the mic next to her on the counter top. She shivered and trembled.
“What are you doing? I told you, Ruark. I told you I can’t.” Her voice
joined his and people gasped.
“And I need you, Baby mine. I need you to be mine. Will you be
mine, Courtney?”
He kissed her shoulder, then the curve in the low of her back and
finally he groaned against her thighs. The raspy sound vibrating against her
quivering skin as his tongue lashed out to sweep over her clit and before
slipping deep inside her dripping cunt. She cried and thrashed, desperate for
him to take her.
“Courtney.”
“You . . . I can’t. You know. I told you! Why are you doing this?
Please, please . . .  oohh.”
He continued his quest. His lips and hands caressed, licked, nipped,
sucked and kissed every inch of her body he could reach. She was burning
hot. She was blazing cold. She needed him. Now and . . . oh god . . . always.
“Yes! Yes, my Liege, I will be yours.”
 His hand tangled in her hair, yanking her head sideways toward him
and kissed her as if her mouth was his saving grace . . . his one and only life
source. He picked up her collar and placed it around her neck. The
microphone was still lying on the counter top next to them. Their voices ran
clear throughout the club.
“With this collar, I claim you Courtney Sears, to be my submissive,
my future life mate and pledge my heart, my soul and my body to you. Do
you accept my claim, Courtney? Knowing that once you say yes, you
belong to me. Body, heart and soul. Knowing that you will be in my life
forever as my submissive, life mate and as my wife.”
Her eyes widened and she stared into his blazing silver ones that did
not falter once in front of hers. She dragged a desperate breath into her
lungs, knowing it was no use trying to fight it any longer. She wanted this.
She needed him. She closed her eyes and prayed that by doing this, she
would be able to keep him safe. She would . . . or she would die trying.
“Y-yes, my Liege, I accept your claim to be your submissive, future
life mate and wife. I pledge my heart, my soul and my body to you. I accept
you, my Liege, Ruark Greer as my Dominant, life mate and husband.”
He slammed into her and she screamed, her hoarse cry reverberating
through the quiet room to echo back at them. His massive cock stretched
and filled every inch inside her and she panted frantically. 
Holy fuck, he was big!  
Ruark kept still, every muscle in his body on fire. She was so hot, so
fucking tight!  She was . . . perfect and she was his. He snapped the locking
mechanism of her collar in place.
“Please honey, move. Fucking move. I need you.”
He chuckled and then he moved. He slammed into her so hard and so
deep, if the bar were not built into the floor, he would have moved it against
the far wall. He pistoned into her with ferocious need, felt her first climax
as she screamed and arched back, but he kept thrusting. He rammed her to
three more climaxes, before he nodded and Quinlan and Sloan un-cuffed
her wrists and ankles from the bar. He pulled out and turned her around. His
arms reached under her knees to open and lift her high. His initial
desperation was over and now he could savor her. Their eyes met and he
powered back inside her. She arched her neck and closed her eyes.
“No Baby mine. Open your eyes. Look at me. I want to see you. I
want you to see me.”
 It was amazing, mystic and so damned sexy, her toes curled. To watch
the amazing strong man looking at her as he stroked so deeply and
intimately inside her. Now it was only the two of them. She did not notice
anyone else. It was only he and his scorching silver eyes, overpowering her
senses with his muscled body encircling her. He slid his palms under her ass
cheeks and lifted her into his hard thrusts.
“Fuck, Courtney, you are so hot . . . so fucking tight!”
He pounded deeper, angled higher, driving into her with such
powerful and erotic savagery that he took her breath away as he propelled
her into another orgasm. Courtney shattered again, screaming as he closed
his fingers around her clit and pinched, forcing the climax higher, tightening
the cords around her core until she felt ready to burst.
“Now Baby mine. Come again. Now, with me! Come for me,
Courtney.”
He twisted her clit and pinched, dragging his cock back, he slung his
hips forward, so deep her mouth widened in a soundless wail.
“Yes . . . fuck, yes Courtney.
He did it again, even deeper this time, harder, jarring her body at the
impact and she saw flashing stars in front of her eyes. Faster now, he was so
deep inside her, neither knew where the other ended or began.
Ruark was driving her from one orgasm into the other, still holding
back his own. Courtney felt her pussy stretched to its limit with his ruthless
possession, his near violent need, yet he did not hurt her. He was giving her
the kind of passion she had been craving from the moment she saw him.
“Oh yes, Baby . . . now!”
He slung his hips deep once more and Courtney shattered so hard she
could not breathe. Panting desperately, she screamed and screamed when
every nerve in her body exploded. Every muscle in her body contracted and
her pussy clenched around him so tightly and with such vicious need that he
followed her immediately and spilled his load inside her with a roar.
“Mine! You’re mine.”
Ruark pressed even deeper, thrusting hard, deep strokes until he had
completely emptied himself inside her.
He slumped on top of her and she wrapped her arms and legs around
him, clutching at him desperately. His mouth searched and found hers and
he kissed her tenderly.
 The club around them erupted. The applause and calls were
deafening. Courtney stiffened and slapped him on his shoulder.
“Oh shit. How could you do this to me? You just fucked me with
everyone watching.”
“And you did not even notice they were there, Baby, so stop
complaining. Now I am taking you to my home and you, my beautiful,
sensual submissive are going to make up for every damn day I had to suffer
needing you.”
“Me? How am I to blame? You’re the one that didn’t want to fuck
me.”
“Because whether you realized it or not, my pet. You were not ready.
But now that you are . . .”
She laughed in his eyes and he withdrew from her reluctantly. He
cleaned himself and after closing his pants, tenderly wiped her clean.
Gently wrapping a soft blanket around her, he picked her up and walked
toward the entrance.
Ryder cranked up the sound system and Queen belted out, “Another
one bites the dust, yeah another one gone, another one gone, another one
bites the dust.”
Ruark just laughed and threw them a finger as he walked out the door.
 
 
Arriving at his house, Ruark carried her directly to his massive
bedroom on the second floor. He lowered her next to the bed and flung the
covers to the edge of the bed.
“I’ve had visions of you in my bed . . . from the first night I laid eyes
on you.”
Courtney’s eyes scanned the room, noticing that there were no visible
signs of bondage equipment anywhere. She ran her tongue over her lips.
“H-how many other subs . . . women have you brought here?”
He smiled at the possessiveness in her voice. “None, Baby. This is my
private domain. I have never taken a full-time sub. When I play, I play at
the club. Never here.”
“When you play?”
He chuckled. “Possessive little mite, aren’t you?”
He lifted her and placed her in the center of his bed, forcing her back
with merciless strength that made her belly quiver. Closing his large hands
over hers, he pulled her arms over her head and held them down in one of
his. This would be the first time she was alone with him.
He was so strong.
She should be scared.
She was thrillingly excited.
“Relax, Baby mine. Keep your hands there,” he murmured, brushing
her lips with his. His hands skimmed her body tenderly.   “The fucking is
something of the past.”
She frowned and started to protest.
“Now . . . we make love.”
 Chapter Sixteen

“We need to talk, Courtney. Our relationship has changed. We need to set
boundaries, so we both know what is expected.”
Courtney smiled. She liked that he took charge and she relaxed
against him, yet with slight trepidation. To what extent would their
relationship change?
“When we are at the club and in the dungeon, you already know what
is expected of you as my submissive.  I demand you to be in that submissive
role, fully. Hopefully, you will get better at it.”
His look incinerated her. Lord, how did he do that? Just a look and
her bones crumbled.
“In our bedroom, any bedroom, I allow a little leeway. The moment I
give you an order, you know what I want. It marks the beginning of play for
us. When we play, no matter where, you will be fully submissive. You will
remain so until our play has ended. Is that clear?”
“Yes, my Liege.”
“When we play, punish or discipline you will call me my Liege, never
Ruark, honey or baby. If I hear any of those, you will suffer the
consequences.”
He leaned down to kiss her lingeringly. “In our home, you are free to
touch me. I’d like to feel your hands on me more often just because I am
here. I like to see you losing control with need and desire for me. I most
definitely am still going to fuck you, Baby mine – passionately, wildly and
roughly.” His grin was wolfish. “Spontaneity goes a long way and I want
that freedom with you. I want to be able to fuck you hard whenever I have
the need . . . into complete exhaustion, or maybe make love gently to watch
you lose your breath. I am not totally against vanilla sex, Courtney, in fact
last night proved that you are the one woman I enjoy making love to and I
have waited for you for a very long time.”
Her eyes misted over. Oh lord, how she loved this man!
“Here, I will enjoy the power I have over you as my submissive
without BDSM components. We play at the club, in the dungeon and the
rooms with toys. All of those are for the dungeon. Flogging, bondage and
everything else you will come to love . . . there.” His eyes were intent and
his face expressionless. “Is that a problem for you, sweet Courtney?”
 “It’s not, but after our discussion at the restaurant, I thought you were
a Dom all the time. That you needed the full control and submission.”
“I am a full-blown Dominant, Courtney, make no mistake about that,
but I do not want a slave. I want you to be your own person, be your sassy
self, but I will be the one in control of your needs. Your desires are mine
and you never get to demand anything from me when we play.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You don’t get to tell me to fuck you when we play. I have come to
know your body, your mind and your needs, my pet. I always know when
and what you need. Remember, Courtney, when we play I command your
body. Your cunt is mine to fuck, mine to command to come. Only mine.
You will come only when I command it. When you orgasm, it is because I
want you to . . . in any manner that pleases me. Willfully disobey any of
those and you will be punished. Mine to decide what punishment or
discipline to give and . . . with who.”
She paled, realizing that being his future wife was not going to
change that. He would use other Senior Masters in her punishments if he
felt it was deserved. His eyes narrowed.
“Never believe for one moment you will receive special privileges at
the club, my pet. The rules are there for all to obey. You included. Break
them and the appropriate punishment will be carried out.”
“D-does that mean you will give me to another to f-fuck.”
He looked at her intently, Quinlan on his mind. She winced when he
did not answer immediately. Now was not the time to discuss that,
especially as he himself was still in a quandary about it.
“No, Baby mine. I will never let another fuck you. That beautiful,
perfect, responsive pussy is all mine.”
“And if I break rules here?”
His grin was evil. Like the devil, himself. “Those punishments are
mine and mine alone. But let me offer you a fair warning, my pet. Do not,
for one moment, believe your punishment here will be lenient. I will never
deliberately hurt you. Your safeword is still intact. Even here, where there is
no one to hear your screams. I tell you this with the knowledge that you
could very easily kick my ass should you wish to.”
Her eyes widened. “I would never do that. Besides, I don’t really
believe I would be able to, unless you allowed it.”
 His gaze hardened. “When are you going to tell me about your life,
Courtney?”
“I . . . please give me some time. This all happened very quickly. I am
still trying to absorb what happened."
“I want you to move in with me. I don’t want a weekend life with
you. I want you in my bed every night.”
Courtney bit her lip and searched his eyes. How could she protect him
if she was so fully engrained in his life? How could she have been so
stupid? In her naivety, she did not consider this, but she should have. Fuck!
She should have!
“I . . . can’t . . .”
“What did you think this was, Courtney? A fling? A fucking five-year
courtship? A now and then get together at the club? You accepted my
claiming of you. Now we move forward. I will not allow you to pull us ten
steps back. I fucking will not.”
She closed her eyes and leaned forward to rest her head against his
chest. He remained hard and unyielding, his anger trembling through him.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and just held him. Allowing his heat
to flow into her, to calm her and offer her strength. She sighed and leaned
her head back to look into his eyes.
“I just need to get this court case behind me. It is going to be a rough
few weeks and I need to focus. Please understand. As soon as it is over, I
am all yours . . . every night . . . forever.”
She refused to discuss it any further and ignored the darkened
warning in her Dom’s eyes. She knew he did not intend to let the matter lie.
 Chapter Seventeen

 “Where the fuck is she? Did you tell her what time to be here?”
“Yes, Sloan. Relax, she still has ten minutes.”
Sloan walked up and down in front of the courthouse like a caged
animal. He hated this part of a bust. Legal systems always had loopholes
that stung you when you least expected it. With one of the accused being a
Congressman, he expected twists in the hearing. Fuck Ruark! The
unexpected claiming of Courtney was a shock. Albeit a nice one. But if
something happened to her now, he would kill them. Slowly and tortuously.
Hagan sat down on a bench, leaning forward with his elbows on his
knees, a frown on his brow. He knew what Sloan’s concerns were. Fuck, he
shared them. They both cared for Courtney. She had been with them for
over seven years. They trained her to become the best Forensic Agent on the
team. Of late, she seemed to have become reckless with her own life.
Maybe because she had no one in hers. She had always fiercely protected
Lindsey and with their help, her family ties were untraceable. That was why
they did not even realize that Lindsey was her sister.
After Zoey’s death, which had shattered her, she had withdrawn from
everyone. She became paranoid when Ivanka and Geoff were threatened
four years ago. He knew that she had not had any contact with either of
them since - her best Buddies that she grew up with. Both of them phone
every now and then to find out how she was. They missed her. It was in
their voices every time they phoned.
“Why are you two dickheads so morose? Did you miss me?”
“Yeah, like toothache! You’re late.” Courtney’s eyebrows rose. Sloan
was stressed, visibly stressed and she felt fear grip her heart.
“What happened?”
He glanced at her and noticed the immediate fear in her eyes. Shit!
Now she had someone in her life to worry about again. How was she going
to cope with this? Sloan sighed.
“Nothing. You know how I get with these fucking court cases. Are
you wearing your vest?”
“N-no, why should I?”
“Go and put it on, Agent Sears. I will not allow you in there without
one.”
 Courtney looked at him. He was really worried. She paled and
realized why. A Congressman and a super-rich Daddy’s boy. There was
such corruption in the legal system, anything could go wrong.
“Now, Sears.”
He used his Dom voice and she ran back to her car to fetch her
bulletproof vest. She took her jacket off as she walked and strapped the vest
on. By the time she joined them she had her jacket on over the vest. Sloan
nodded and they went inside the courtroom.
They made her sit between them in the back of the room. They were
not taking any chances. She was the key player in bringing the Syndicate
down and in the process, she had become enemy number on to a myriad of
people. Normally when someone went undercover, their identity remained
intact, specifically to protect them afterwards. Sloan did not believe that the
danger she was in had sunk in yet. Neither for her, nor for Ruark.
Okay, maybe Ruark did realize, Sloan admitted ruefully, when the
door opened just after the case commenced he and Bracus walked in. He
totally commanded the room. He noticed them and glared at Hagan.
“Move.”
Hagan moved over and Ruark sat down next to Courtney, with Bracus
in front of them. He took her hand in his and rubbed her palm with his
thumb. She gaped at him and then anger flashed in her eyes.
“What are you doing here? She whispered furiously at him.
He barely glanced down at her. “Shh.” Which of course made her
simmer with annoyance.
Fear now filled her heart. Didn’t he know? For Pete’s sake, did he not
realize the danger he was placing himself in? They may never know what
he means to her. If they knew . . . oh god, if they knew they would use him
to get to her. And she would gladly give up her life for him. She would do
anything to protect him.
The three culprits were tried as the Syndicate, therefore all three were
led into the courtroom. Paul Carter appeared his usual calm and confident
self, as if he was about to enter into a political debate. Dimitri searched the
courtroom and his hate filled eyes seared her, so did Devlon Sanders.
Whereas Dimitri glared at her and looked away, Devlon kept glaring at her,
until Ruark sat forward to intercept the look with a direct warning of his
own. He broke eye contact.
“Ruark, please. I want you to leave. You can’t be here!”
 Sloan heard her voice, especially as it was husky with tears. He
looked at her. Fuck! She was terrified. He had seen the same look in her
eyes when Ivanka and Geoff were threatened. Ruark also saw the terror in
her eyes and glanced at Sloan, who barely shook his head. He frowned and
tightened his hand around hers.
“I am not going anywhere, Courtney. We will talk later.”
The day dragged on where all the witnesses were introduced and
briefly questioned. Courtney had never felt so vulnerable in her life as when
she was on the witness stand. The three accused glared at her, promise of
torturous retribution in their eyes. She felt Ruark’s eyes on her. She looked
at him and became calm, her fear forgotten. She focused on him and he
gave her strength.
She was tired by the time they left the courtroom around three in the
afternoon. She started to remove her vest, but Ruark’s hand stayed her.
“No, leave it.”
“But . . .”
“Courtney,” the Dom was back. She left it on.
Ruark followed her all the way to her apartment. The moment they
walked through the door he pressed her up against the wall and kissed her
like a man possessed. His hands were everywhere and suddenly she was
naked. He grasped both her hands in one of his and slammed it against the
wall above her. Fisting his hand in her hair, he pulled her head back and
looked at her. His silver eyes glowing, hard, glittering and ruthless.
“What are you?”
“Your submissive.”
“Which means?”
“I belong to you.”
“And therefore?”
“I am yours to care for, to control and to . . . to protect.”
His huge cock slammed into her and she cried at the unexpected and
forceful invasion. With a rawness to his voice and his eyes scorching hers,
he rasped, “Never forget that again, Courtney.”
“I need you to . . .”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you arguing with me, sub?” He drove his
cock deeper and she winced. God, he had never been so deep, purposely
pressing into her womb. She shook her head.
“You know better, sub.”
 “No, my Master. I am sorry. Please forgive me.”
Ruark started to thrust then, drawing her leg up with his arm under
her knee and hooking it over his shoulder. She gasped as his cock pressed
even more deeply inside her, her hamstring screaming from the strain of
being stretched so far. Trying to wrap the other leg around his waist, she
yelped as he slapped her hard on her upraised thigh.
“Did I ask you to move?”
“N-no, my Liege.”
Dragging his hips back, he slung his hips forward and powered into
her again, with so much force her breath whooshed out of her lungs and she
cried out. Ruark started a rhythm then, hard and deep, his eyes never
leaving hers. He saw the flashes of pain, but he kept hitting deep against her
cervix until the hot wetness of her arousal caught up with him and he
smiled. Yes, his little masochist was with him.
“You will not come, Courtney. I intend to spill every drop I have
inside your hot cunt, but you will not come. Is that clear?”
Her eyes widened and she pleaded hoarsely, her core already pulsing
with the need to come, her clit throbbing with each hard slam of his body
against hers. The burning sting of the slap on her thigh adding to her rising
need.
“Please, my Liege. You know how much I need you. Please don’t
deny me.”
“You. Will. Not. Come.”
Punctuating each word with a hard ramming into her and she cried
out with each one. She wiggled against him, straining closer and he slapped
her thigh softly, twice in succession. The stinging pain made her core
tightened even more and drenched his cock with heat.
“Oh fuck. Please!”
His pace increased, and then slowed, tilting her so that he hit her G-
spot with every forward thrust. She was delirious, her core painfully
throbbing, but she held her climax at bay and screamed when he slapped her
thigh again, still soft, but with a slight sting.
Smack, smack, smack.
She wailed and pleaded, allowing her head to flail back and forth
against the wall. Ruark saw her need and knew she was suffering. The sting
of the smacks on her thigh only added to her rising need. Ruark increased
his speed and pressed hard into her and she felt his hot seed jetting deep
inside her. Tears of need rolled down her cheeks, her mouth clamped shut
and her hands fisted where he still held them in his hand above her head.
Ruark watched her without fail. She panted and inhaled with short
choppy breaths. Clearly concentrating on holding her climax back, he could
feel her inner muscles pulsing desperately around his cock, as he pumped a
few more times to empty his full load inside her. She keened and bit her lip.
“Please, my Liege! I beg you,” she begged whisper soft.
“No.”  
Ruark withdrew from her and caught her in his arms when her legs
collapsed. Carrying her into her den, he sat down on her couch. He wrapped
his arms around her and just held her shivering, suffering body. Fifteen
minutes later, she was still trembling and he instructed her harshly.
“Settle down, Courtney.
She tried, she really tried, but her core throbbed painfully and she
failed miserably to draw a deep breath. Courtney was too scared she would
come if she did. Her orgasm was still that close to the surface.
“Please, my Liege. I beg you! I need to come. Please let me come.”
“No. I will give you five more minutes, and then I want you settled. Is
that clear?”
“Y-yes, my Liege.” Courtney concentrated on his warmth, his hands
slowly stroking her back, and she started to relax against him, even though
her pussy still pulsed with need.
“Why did I discipline you, Courtney?”
“I . . . I honestly don’t know, my Liege.”
Ruark sighed heavily and pulled her head back with his hand in her
hair. His eyes were ruthless when they explored hers.
“Recall the discussion I tried to have with you this morning, sub.”
Courtney’s eyes widened. She had refused to discuss moving in with
him any further. He went to take a shower and brusquely instructed her to
come up with a better excuse by the time he was finished. She took off
while he was in the shower.
“I . . . I guess because I left without your permission, my Liege.”
“And?”
“I . . . refused to move in with you immediately, my Liege.”
“And?”
“That is an awful lot of and’s there, my Liege. Does that mean there is
more punishment in store for me?” She looked at him through her
eyelashes, worry in her eyes. His eyes hardened.
“Another just got added, yes. Do not try and manipulate your way out
of discipline or punishment with feminine wiles, sub. I will not stand for it.
There is no place for that in a D/s relationship.”
She struggled to sit upright, but his arms just tightened around her to
keep her in place.
“Feminine wiles? I don’t do feminine wiles . . . I was not! That’s not
fair. Besides, it was a very reasonable question to have asked.”
He remained impassive, just looked at her, waiting. She recalled he
wanted another reason. She searched her memory and recalled what it
meant to belong to a Dominant. Her voice was small.
“I . . . belong to you and it is your right to . . . protect me.”
“Yes, and by running away this morning, you took that privilege away
from me. I cannot protect you if you won’t let me, Courtney. I will not
allow you to build walls between us. There are already one or two to break
down. I refuse to allow you to add more.”
“I don’t . . . I can’t . . . dammit Ruark! I need you to be safe. You
can’t be there. They cannot know what you mean to me. Please. I beg you.”
His eyes flashed, darkened, and she could not look away.
“What do I mean to you, Courtney?”
She took a deep, staggering breath. Fuck! She did not mean to say
that. It was too soon and he was not ready for a declaration of love. No
matter that he claimed her, as more than his wife, he had not asked her to
marry him. She knew enough about D/s relationship to know that apart
from caring, it did not always center on love and emotions.
“I . . . need the bathroom.”
Courtney tore from his hands and he allowed her to run down the hallway.
His eyes pensive, while he stuffed his still semi-hard cock back into his
pants and zipped them up. Courtney glowered at Ruark.

“What are you doing?”  

Ruark did not respond, just continued to fold her clothes neatly and
pack them in one of the suitcases lying open on her bed.
“Ruark?”
“You are an intelligent woman, my pet. I am sure you will be able to
figure it out in a minute or two.”
 “I already told you I am not . . .”
“And I am telling you, you are moving in with me. It’s not up for
debate. You can either help me pack or go and sit in the den until I’m done.
Either way, when I leave here, we will be together.”
She continued to glare at him, but he ignored her, as he did her
continued grumbling.
“What the devil possessed me to become involved with an
overbearing, dumbass Dominant who seemed to have lost his fucking mind,
I will never know.”
“That is twenty.”
She continued to rant, while throwing shoes in a bag as if he had not
rumbled the warning count. “Gmphf, always has to have the last say. I am
going to be fucking grey before I am thirty-five.”
“That’s twenty-one.”
“You can scrap everything over nineteen. I was not talking to you. I
was having a conversation with myself.”
“In my presence. Which means it stays.”
She bit her lip to stop herself from uttering anything further and he
frowned at her.
“I see I need to find some proper punishment for the biting of that lip.
Maybe I should let all the Doms and Senior Masters stand in a queue on
Friday night and have you suck each of them for five minutes. Do you think
then you will remember to stop biting it?”
Courtney looked at him with a completely horrified expression on her
face. There were hundreds of Doms at the club on the weekends.
“You said you would not share me intimately.” Her voice was very
small.
“No, sub. I said I would not allow anyone to fuck your cunt. That
does not include them fingering, licking or sucking you. Nor you sucking
them off.”
She looked at him, her mind in shambles. He claimed her, told her she
was to be his wife and she wondered if it would be the same then.
“I . . . don’t want others to touch me intimately, Ruark. It would not
feel right.”
“Yet, it would be for me to decide. I warned you. You will not receive
any privileges in the club should you break rules or push the boundaries and
hurt or cause damage to yourself or ignore direct instructions from me or
any Senior Master.”
“I . . . er . . . think maybe I was a bit hasty in my acceptance of your . .
.”
The next minute his hand closed hard around her jaw and lifted her on
her toes, forcing her chin up to look at him. Her eyes flared wide and she
felt as vulnerable as a mouse in the claws of a cat. His eyes glittered
dangerously.
“Do not, Courtney. Do not play that game with me.” He waited until
she nodded her head, before he released her and went back to his packing.
“Either you shut up and finish packing or wait for me in the den. You
are managing to anger me and I do not appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry, my Liege.”
She realized she had really upset him and kept quiet. She also
resigned herself to the fact that he was not going to back down and started
packing in earnest. Within an hour, they were on their way, his city SUV
stacked to the rafters with suitcases and duffel bags. She smiled at his
grumbling when he battled to get everything in.
“Why women need so many clothes and shoes, I will never know.”
In the end, some things were left behind and he decided to send the
Club Manager to collect the rest in the morning. On their way to the docks,
Courtney looked at him and said carefully.
“I do not want to sell my apartment, Ruark.”
“That is your decision to make, my pet. I have some contacts in the
property industry who can assist you finding a proper tenant.”
“Y-you don’t mind if I keep it?”
He frowned and glanced at her. “No, of course not.” He sighed
heavily. “There are certain things I will never budge on, Courtney and it
will always be things that will put a barrier between us or your own safety
and care, but I meant it when I said I wanted you to be your own person.”
“W-what about my job?”
She watched him carefully and noticed the slight tightening of his
jaw. He was not happy with her being a Forensic FBI Agent.
“For now, I will bear it.”
“For now?”
He looked at her, his face grim. “I want children, Courtney. Do you
believe I will allow you to continue to endanger your life once we do?”
 “I . . . you . . . you want kids? With me?”
He had just parked the car in the private parking garage he owned on
the docks. He turned to her with a frown.
“You are going to be my wife. Are you telling me the thought never
crossed your mind? Or are you saying that you are a toughened FBI agent
that never wants kids?”
“N-no, I always wanted kids. I . . . you just did not mention it at all
last night.”
He searched her eyes and stroked a rough fingertip gently down her
cheek. “I will not lie to you, Baby mine. It bothers me that you face danger
and death every day. The thought of you out there without me to protect you
scares the crap out of me. So, no, I don’t like your job, but I know it means
the world to you. I would ask that if you wish to remain with the FBI that
you look within yourself and search for something else at the agency,
something out of the line of fire.”
His kiss was so tender, tears burned behind her eyes. How could she
not love this man?
The housekeeper and butler assisted with unloading her luggage and
then she ushered them into the dining room for dinner. She was like a little
mother hen and clucked all around Courtney.
“I am so happy my boy found someone to share his life with. Since
that no-good wife of his . . . oh, I’m sorry . . . I . . .”
“Ellie, relax. No harm done. Why don’t you go and fetch the food?”
Ruark watched her walk out the door before his eyes found hers.
Courtney looked at him, her gaze pensive. She rested her chin on her folded
hands.
“We really did just jump into this, didn’t we? We don’t know
anything about each other.”
His eyes darkened and he frowned. “Let me ask you this, Courtney.
Do you believe our pasts have any bearing on how we are when we’re
together or the commitment we made to each other?”
She looked into his eyes for a long time. She sighed and dropped her
head on her arms. After a while, she lifted her head, pulled her hair back
and pulled it tight behind her head. The pain offered her the focus she
needed.
“I guess we have more in common than I thought. I got married when
I was twenty-three, hardly lasted two years. He was a great man . . . but I
guess, not . . . strong enough for me. Sex was great, but I needed more and
he . . .” she laughed mirthlessly. “He literally ran away when I suggested we
join a BDSM club. I came home the next day and all his things were gone. I
never heard from or saw him again. Until I got the divorce papers. That was
. . . gosh . . . seven years ago.”
“Yet, in seven years you never joined a club?”
“I guess going at it alone did not have the appeal. Trust . . . doesn’t
come easy to me.”
“In seven years, you did not have boyfriends?”
“I had a career. The first two years after the divorce I went on a
number of dates, even had sex on the odd occasion, but then . . .” She
clammed up. “Guess I lost the drive over the past four years.”
He frowned, not liking her closing up on him.
“Are you telling me you have not been with a man or had sex for the
past four years since Devlon Sanders?”
“NO! I never had sex with him. No fucking way! I would have
walked away from the job if it came to that.”
“So, I am the first man you’ve had sex with in four years?”
“Yeah . . . along with Goliath.”
His eyebrows rose. “Goliath?”
“My trusted vibrating dildo.”
He laughed from the depth of his stomach and Courtney stared at him.
His whole body and face changed. He appeared younger, carefree and his
eyes became light beams of silver. He ended in a chuckle when Ellie walked
back in and she too stared at him.
“Shit. I have to make you laugh more often.”
She got up and walked around the table. She threw her leg over his
legs and straddled his lap. She took his face in her hands and locked her lips
on his still smiling lips, totally unconcerned for the beaming Ellie looking
on. His hands closed around her hips. The kiss was sweet and tender and
she crawled just that little bit deeper into his heart. His arms wrapped
around her and he hugged her tight. Ellie had disappeared silently.
“I did not notice Goliath when I packed your stuff. Did you bring him
with you?”
“Yeah . . . a girl has to be prepared, you know.”
“Hmm . . . as long as you don’t forget rule two, my pet. I’d like to
meet Goliath and watch you fuck him tonight. A man has to know what his
competition is, you know.”
This time she was the one who laughed and it was such a natural deep
laugh, he had no recourse but to join in.
“The count is now twenty-one, my pet.”
“Oh sh . . . shut the front door!”
He chuckled and shook his head. May she never lose her sass.
Courtney wiggled closer against his hips and he growled when she rubbed
her apex against his rock-hard cock. She looked at him with batting eyes.
“I was sharing, honey. Without being asked, you know. Surely, you
could overlook my . . . two tiny slips? Just this once?”
“Hmm . . . what do you have to trade, my pet. Forgiveness does not
come easily to me.”
She leaned her body against his, pulled her legs down to lie between
his and slid slowly down his body to stand on her knees in front of him. Her
glittering eyes never left his.
Unzipping his pants, she slowly took his fully aroused cock out,
stroking down its length with slow, teasing strokes, following the protruding
veins from top to base. His cock jumped when she leaned forward and
licked the pre-cum from the slit at the blunt tip. Twirling her tongue around
the tip, she sensually licked around the girth. With her hands folded around
the base of his cock she gently pumped up and down, at the same time
guiding his cock into her mouth, gently sucking and licking the bottom
edge.
Ruark’s hands fisted in her hair as she stroked over his abs and leaned
further onto him, taking him deeper. She pulled back and caressed his chest,
then sucked him back into her mouth, all the way to the back of her throat.
Courtney winced as his hands tightened in her hair. Closing her fingers
around his nipples, she pinched and with a growl he started to thrust, deeper
and deeper until her nose caressed the coarse trimmed hair at his groin.
With every pinch around his nipples, he thrust faster. With hollowed cheeks,
she created a vacuum every time he pulled back and he groaned.
“Fuck, my pet! That feels good. So, fucking good. Take all of me, my
pet. Swallow it all.”
He growled as he thrust once as deep as he could and his load jetted
down her throat. Swallowing every drop, she slowly pulled her mouth from
him, kissing the tip deeply and lovingly before she put his cock back in his
pants and zipped him up. He still gripped her hair and pulled her back upon
his lap for his kiss, slanting his mouth over hers as he devoured her
hungrily.
He smiled and traced a finger over her nose, her cheeks, her chin and
lastly her mouth.
“Hmm . . . for a trade that was pretty good. Tell you what, my pet.
Let’s see how well you do in the shower this evening before I make my
decision.”
“You are a hard man to please, my love. But I am an achiever. I will
prevail!”
“Oh, Baby mine, I am counting on it!”
 Chapter Eighteen

Sloan and Ruark made it very clear that Courtney would only be in the
courtroom when she needed to testify. Sloan was there every day, which left
Hagan to babysit her. She was highly annoyed. Especially since he made
her walk around with a bulletproof vest on all day long.
“Really Hagan, this is ridiculous. We are in the office and I am dying
from the heat!”
“Enough.” He snapped in his Dom voice and Courtney slapped her
mouth shut. She looked at him through her eyelashes.
Between him and Sloan, he was the gentler one. The one that cracked
jokes and played mediator. But clearly, he was a Dominant through and
through. Not for the first time she wondered if they would share a sub. She
had a suspicion they would, thinking back to the time they punished her.
They seemed to be in tune with each other when they both attacked her
pussy. She shifted uncomfortably on her chair, feeling heat slither down her
pussy remembering.
Shit, shit, shit!
She did not want that. She only wanted Ruark’s hands, mouth and
cock inside her. None other. Why then did it still stir her to remember what
they did? Was it because she could see the effect it had on Ruark? The dark
flush on his skin as he watched her desperation for release and then beg him
for it and not them? The power it gave him over her, controlling her orgasm.
And it was him. He knew exactly when she was about to come and he
stopped them. That, even though they managed to arouse her to shattering
heights, it was still only him she saw, only him she needed.
She sighed heavily and not for the first time since the night he took
her home with him, did she wonder about his ‘good for nothing wife’ Ellie
mentioned. He had not said a word about that, yet he kept pushing her to
open up to him. How was that fair?  Why did he not tell her, share his life
with her as he expected her to share with him? She smiled dreamily.
He was a very surprising man. He was a pure Dominant, just as he
had warned her, but he was also passionate, tender and caring. They
laughed a lot. She loved to see him laugh. She went crazy with need when
would he yank her into his arms, fuck her brains out, zip his pants closed
and walk away whistling, while she was left panting to catch her breath.
 Day-amn! Did he know how to push her passion buttons? Forget her
passion buttons. Her lust buttons! She had no control over her body when
he was near. None, nada. He played her like a maestro conducted a whole
orchestra.
“Let’s go to lunch, Sears. I’m hungry.”
“So, go. I’ll hang around here.”
“Sears. Let’s go.”
“You know, there should be a rule against you using your damn Dom
demeanor outside of the club with me,” Courtney said irritably as she got up
to follow him.

“Greer,” Ruark barked into his cell phone when he answered the call. He
was busy reviewing an investment portfolio that he needed to sign off on
before lunch.
“Honey bun. How are you, darling?”
Ruark felt his body tighten and he slowly leaned back in his chair. He
looked out over the city from his office on the top floor of a high rise in
upper Manhattan. Infinity Investments started as a pet project, but turned
into one of the most lucrative businesses in the US. His CEO ran the
operation very efficiently, so he only became involved in top-level
investment portfolios.
He waited. It was a voice he had not heard for over eight years. A
voice he never particularly wanted to hear again. Ever.
“Ruark, are you there?”
“What do you want, Shelly?”
“Oh, you can’t still be mad at me after all these years? You know I
had no choice, darling. I was told you were dead. I had to go on with my
life.”
“Last chance. What do you want?”
“No small talk then, I see. We’re in the city and would like to come to
the club tonight.”
“There are many clubs in New York, Shelly. Mine is exclusive and I
am afraid, you’re not.”
“That was . . . cruel, even for you. It’s been eight years. Surely we can
move on after all that time?”
 Ruark sighed. He did not have any feelings left for his ex-wife and if
he told her off, she might believe otherwise. The only reason he did not
want her at the club was because of Courtney. He had not told her about
Shelly yet. He did not talk about that time in his life or the two years
thereafter. Two years where Jason, Bracus, Sloan, Slade, Zane, Quinlan and
Quade were his saviors. If it weren’t for them, he would have become a
recluse, or given up and died.
“Let’s make one thing clear, Shelly. I don’t give a fuck about you. I
haven’t since the day I came back from Vietnam. I only allow people in my
club that I respect and believe would fit the culture I drive there. Neither
you, nor David fit the criteria.”
“What do you mean? We are highly respected in the BDSM
community in LA.”
“I do not allow hardcore in my club. At all. Only those who accept
that and live the same principles are welcome. We both know you don’t.”
“It is only for tonight, Ruark. We will behave. I promise.”
“Very well, Shelly. But I warn you. One misstep and you’re out. The
invitation is only for tonight. Do not try to wrangle another. Ask for Bracus
when you arrive. He’ll take you through the rules and sign you in.”
He ended the call and examined his feelings. It was strange to hear
her voice after so many years. He often wondered how he would react if he
ever heard from her again. Now he knew. He felt nothing. Not even a
twinge of regret at the loss of the beautiful, tall blonde woman who was his
wife for four years. Until she cuckolded him with his business partner while
he was being tortured in a filthy hole in Vietnam. By the time he was
rescued, she had already sold their house and had him declared dead. She
was Mrs. David Barlow by the time he returned.
He guessed part of the reason was her desire for hardcore BDSM,
needles, blood, and knives. Hell, anything that could cut into her was her
scene. It did not sit well with him and he never indulged her. Sure, he was a
Dominant with slight sadistic tendencies, but he had certain principles and
morals he held to. Cutting a woman’s soft skin never got him off.
He never budged on that rule at the club. No hardcore. Fire play,
catheters, enemas, asphyxiation, urination and defecation was all off limits.
No knives, needles, cutting, piercing or blood. Ever. Those who did not like
it were not granted membership or even invitations to the club.
 His phone beeped and he opened the text message. A smile played
around his mouth. It was a picture of a plate with a piece of steak and
mashed potatoes that were shaped in a long curve-like boat. The message,
from his sassy sub, made his cock twitch.
Courtney: “It looks a bit like Goliath don’t you think?”
Clearly, she was horny. She had annoyed him the previous night with
her constant denial to open up to him and he denied her an orgasm.
Ruark: “Are you wearing your butt plug, sub? I plan on fucking your
ass tonight. Make sure it is prepared well.”
Courtney blushed when she read the message. He had made her wear
it every other day for at least an hour. But the one he used on her the night
before was nearly double the size than the previous one and she shrieked in
horror.
“Take it out! It’s too big!”
Ruark just chuckled and folded her hand around his fully aroused
cock.
“Compare that one to me, my pet. I am going in there. All the way
and you will be able to take me. Soon.”
She just groaned and closed her eyes. He was more than double the
size.
Oh fuck! She was going to die!
 
Courtney was not into wearing PVC skirts and proper fetish wear, but she
loved minis and corsets. And of course, super sexy lingerie. Ruark salivated
when she walked into the club just before six. He had a meeting scheduled
with the Senior Masters, so he had left home early.
She wore a tight black mini with a short red corset that pushed up her
breasts invitingly and left her flat stomach bare. Black stilettos with a silver
heel completed her outfit. She had tied her hair in a tight ponytail on top of
her head. With her makeup, heavier than usual and bright red lips, she
looked mysterious.
“Earth to Ruark.”
He snapped out of his fascination with his sub and glared at Bracus
who grinned wickedly.
“We thought now that she lives with you, you would be back to your
normal self. Now, you’re just weird.”
Ruark smirked ruefully and gestured toward her. All the Senior
Masters turned and watched her walk toward the other trainees with long,
measured steps. Ruark’s smile broadened. I’ll be damned. She was wearing
the butt plug.
“Look at her. Do you blame me?”
“Can’t say that we do. We were highly annoyed when you demanded
exclusivity, Ruark. All of us would have liked to have a turn at her,” Sloan
said tongue in the cheek.
“I noticed. This is the only time I am going to issue this warning. She
is mine and I will never share that pussy with any of you. So, don’t even try
to demand any punishment that entitles you to her.”
He noticed Quinlan’s tightening of his jaw and he sighed. Fuck. He
should have spoken to him separately. He finished the meeting and asked
Quinlan to stay behind when the others left.
“So, that’s that then?”
“Quin. Shit. I don’t know. On one hand, I would love to feel her
between us, to give her the kind of pleasure she would otherwise never feel.
On the other hand, I can’t get past the utter possessiveness I feel for her.
Just the thought of you fucking her pussy . . . the situation is different than
with a normal sub. She is different and she doesn’t want that.”
“You’ve spoken to her about it?”
 “Not about you, but she made it clear that she does not want to be
shared. At this point, I do not want to share her either. I . . . might never.”
Quinlan got up and slapped Ruark on his shoulder. A rueful smile on
his lips. “I can’t deny that I am disappointed, Bud, but I do understand. In
all honesty, had she been mine . . . I probably would have felt the same
way.”
“Please send her here. I have a new rule I need to discuss with her.”
“No prob.”
“Quin . . . Shelly and David will be here tonight.”
“What? Are you fucking crazy?”
Ruark sighed and smiled at the murderous expression on the face of
his best friend. He was still looking out for him.
“They can’t hurt me anymore, my friend. They haven’t been able to
since I came back. Maybe I need to see them just once to put all of that
behind me once and for all.”
“Does Courtney know you were married?”
“Ellie let it slip out, yes.”
“And that’s it? You didn’t discuss it with her?”
Ruark did not answer, but his expression said it all.
“Fuck, Ruark. Does she know your ex-wife will be here tonight?”
“No.”
Quinlan shook his head and glared at him. “That’s wrong, Bud.”
“I do not intend to entertain them, Quin. I told her to ask for Bracus. I
don’t even need to talk to them.”
“Guh . . . we both know Shelly better than that. That bitch has a chip
on her shoulder and she is going to look for you. Don’t be surprised if she
throws herself in your arms. If only to prove she could still give you a hard-
on.”
Ruark sat brooding after Quinlan left. He watched him approach the
trainees and grit his teeth when he deliberately ran his hand over Courtney’s
breasts. He nodded toward Ruark’s office and she turned and walked to the
stairs.
He was leaning against his desk with his legs in front of him when
Courtney walked into his office. She smiled at him but he continued to
watch her intently. That look that made her quiver. The one that said, ‘I see
you, Courtney’.
“Present yourself, sub.”
 Courtney grasped her hands behind her neck, and stood straight, in
the perfect position Ruark had taught her over the past two weeks. This is
how he wanted her at the beginning of their night in the club. So he could
look at her. Appreciate her beauty and decide what she needed for the night
ahead.
He straightened and walked around her slowly. His finger traced her
bared stomach and back as he circled her. Her nipples budded in tight
buttons, which immediately triggered a reaction from her clit.
“Bend over and grasp your ankles.”
She hesitated a bare second and then did as instructed.
“Spread them.”
She shuffled her legs wider apart and he walked around her. He
stroked over her ass cheeks and down her thighs. She was naked beneath
the skirt as per his instruction. He pressed his hand on the butt plug in her
ass and praised her, “I see you took some initiative, my pet. I am proud of
you.”
“Thank you, my Liege. Ahh!”
She cried out when he pressed harder, forcing the plug deeper. He
circled her again. A loud whack elicited another cry as he smacked her hard
on her ass.
“What do you need, sub?”
“I need to . . . come. Please my Liege! I so desperately need to come.”
“Hmm . . . I might allow that a later, but first, we have something to
discuss. Up you go, my pet.” He took her arm and pulled her upright. He
went to sit behind his desk and waved her to the chair in front of his desk.
She sat down gingerly and looked at him wondering what she did wrong.
“There is another rule I want to discuss with you, Courtney. One that I
am not prepared to debate. One that will elicit strict punishment if not
obeyed.”
“W-what is it?”
“No hiding from me. Nothing, ever. Not your feelings, not your past
and anything going forward.”
“T-that is not fair. You c-can’t use a rule like that to force me to tell
you things I am not ready to.”
“Then we have a problem, don’t we sub? For if I ask you a question
that is associated with that rule and you refuse to answer, you will be
punished.”
 She felt like crying. It had been years. Years since she had spoken
about Zoey, her guilt and her utter loneliness since walking away from her
two best friends. Ruark noticed her teary eyes, but hardened his heart. The
only way they would be able to move forward was if she opened up to him
completely.
“D-does that rule apply to you too?”
She looked at him, her eyes searching and he noticed the insecurity in
hers. His strong, bad assed FBI sub was insecure. About him. For not telling
her about his ex-wife.
“What do you want to know, Courtney?”
“I . . . told you about my marriage, yet you never offered me the same
courtesy. Why?”
Ruark brooded. His gaze was intense and turned from a deep silver to
nearly charcoal. God, the pain she saw in his eyes! She gasped for breath
and got up from the chair, devastation in her eyes.
“Y-you still love her. Oh, fuck.”
She turned around and ran for the door. Ruark caught her in his arms.
He turned her around and pushed her back to her chair.
“Sit. I have not given you permission to leave.”
“I don’t want―”
“Sit down Courtney.”   She sat. He walked back to his chair and sat
down. His eyes direct as he watched her.
“I married Shelly when I was twenty-six. She was my submissive and
I cared for her. I suppose I believed I loved her. I came to realize years later
it was never love. I used to be a Private Special Ops recovery agent, running
recovery missions on and off. We were called to Vietnam to recover a team
of SEALs that were captured by rogue mercenaries during a raid.”
His hands fisted and his jaw clenched. He was clearly reliving his
memories and Courtney clasped her hands. Suddenly she was not so sure
she wanted to hear anymore.
“Ruark, I don’t need to―”
“Yes. You do, just as much as I need to know what haunts you in your
sleep.”
She started. She had not realized she still had nightmares. She had
learned to shut her mind off even in her sleep and did not recall having
them, but evidently, she did, and he had witnessed it in the middle of the
night.
 “We managed to get them out. When we got to the chopper that came
to pick us up, I realized one of my team was missing. I sent them on their
way and went back to look for him. We were both captured.”
“Oh Lord, no!”
“They kept us in a fucking hole in the ground. Only allowed us out
when they tortured us. Chris was already wounded and he . . . did not make
it. He died four months later. He was dead next to me for four days before
they took him away.”
“Four months! H-how long were you . . .”
“Six. I was ready to give up. Fuck, a body can only take so many
beatings, knife wounds, electrocution, and asphyxiation. Especially if
you’re weak from lack of food and water.”
“W-why didn’t they send a team back for you?”
“The government didn’t want to take another chance. It was only the
two of us, so we were collateral damage in their eyes.”
Courtney felt the tears run down her cheeks for the suffering that her
strong man must have gone through.
“In the end, it was Sloan, Quin, Slade, Zane and Bracus that came to
my rescue. We grew up together and they refused to give up. They hired a
team of mercenaries and got me out. Those five and Jason were my saviors
once I got back here. I was a wreck and then to find my wife married to my
business partner . . . I guess that was the last straw. I gave up. They refused
to let me. I owe them my life. All five of them, but more so Quin and
Bracus. They gave up their lives and came to live with me. Those first
months, they nursed me, fucking carried me to the bathroom and back.
They kicked my ass when I was ready to give up. It took two years to
become myself again. Six years for the nightmares to stop. If not for them .
. .”
“You are very close, I noticed that.”
“We are more than close, Courtney. I love them like brothers. There is
nothing I would not do for them.” She noticed a glint in his eye as if he was
saying more to her than he was.
“H-how could your wife be married while you were in captivity?”
He snorted. “She had me declared MIA and a month or two later,
dead. She married David Barlow a month before I was rescued. By the time
I came back, she had sold our house and David had legally taken over the
retail business that we had started together.”
 “They left you with nothing?”
He laughed. “No, my pet. In case you are not aware, I am a billionaire
a few times over. My estate was not settled, as I was supposedly dead she
would have inherited everything. It was only one of my businesses, it was
their betrayal. The total disregard for my feelings when I met them in
court.”
“I hope you cleaned them out!”
“Vindictive little sub, aren’t you?”
“They deserved to be! But let me guess. You walked away? You did
not take anything from either of them?”
He smiled. She already knew him so well. “It wasn’t worth the effort,
my pet. By then, I had already realized that I had no real feelings for Shelly.
In fact, I couldn’t give her what she needed. I didn’t want to.”
“What do you mean?”
“She is into hardcore BDSM. Blood and gore is what she wants. I
might be a bit of a sadist, but not like that.”
“Oh. May I come and give you a hug and a kiss, my Liege?”
“Yes, sub. You may.”
She literally flew into his arms and wrapped hers around his neck,
clinging to him as if her life depended on it. Their mouths meshed in a
deeply passionate kiss. One that started off wild and deep, but ended sweet
and tender. She looked into his eyes and tenderly traced the faint scar above
his eye.
“Now, Baby. It is your turn.”
She stiffened and tried to pull away from him. His arms tightened and
his eyes glittered dangerously.
“Please, Ruark! I will tell you, but not here. I can’t here! I-I have not
spoken to anyone about it in over four years and I will lose it. Totally. I am
not as strong as you. Please.”
He searched her eyes and saw the panic there. He traced her cheek
with a rough finger and she leaned into his hand. He smiled and praised her.
“Now that is how a good sub reacts to a touch from her Master. Very
well, Courtney, but you will tell me tomorrow.”
She nodded and reluctantly rose from his lap when he pushed her to
get up. He nodded his head to the center of the room and she trotted on her
ridiculously high heels back to take her ‘present’ stance.
 Ruark felt completely relaxed for the first time in eight years. It was
the first time he had ever spoken to someone, outside of the circle of his
five friends and cousin, about those months and it felt good. He felt free. He
also knew he owed Quinlan and Bracus. Having told Courtney what they
did for him, brought that back to him. They would always need one another.
Suddenly sharing Courtney with Quinlan seemed like the right thing to do.
The only thing to do.
He circled his beautiful sub and traced the collar around her neck. His
eyes glittered.  “I do like to see you in my collar, my pet. Very much so.”
He kept circling her and said as if in deep thought. “Do you know you
are the first woman I have ever given my own collar to and not a club
collar?”
“N-no.”
He looked at her sternly.
“No, I did not know that. But your sub is elated to hear that, my
Liege.”
“I believe, my pet, you deserve an orgasm for that. On the couch pet
and spread that pussy wide open.”
Courtney sank down on the couch and leaned back. She pushed her
skirt over her hips, spread her legs and pulled her knees up, offering him a
view he never grew tired of.
“Now is that not pretty? I’ll never get tired seeing you like that, my
pet.”
He stepped closer and sat down next to her. He untied the two bows
on the sides of her corset and bared her breasts. He smoothed his hands over
her breasts, kneaded them softly then flicked his fingers over her nipples.
She moaned softly, pressing her breasts deeper into his hands. His fingers
closed over her nipples and he pinched and pulled them, elongating them
until she winced.
He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out clover clamps. He
tweaked the nipple closest to him and murmured, “Deep breath, Baby.
These are real tight ones.”
He clamped the grips around her nipple. Pain surged through her and
she screamed and thrashed against his hands holding her down.
“Fuck no. That is too much. P-please.”
“Breathe, Sub. Breathe through the pain.”
 Courtney battled to draw a deep enough breath to accept the pain and
panted pitifully.
“I said breathe, Courtney.”  She breathed and the furious pain settled
into a constant biting ache.
He twisted the other nipple. “Deep breath, Baby.” Even knowing what
to expect, she still screamed and battled just as much to breathe through the
pain.
“Oh fuck, my Liege, that hurts. I don’t know if I can . . .”
“Oh, you can sub. Trust me.” He stroked his rough fingertips down
her belly to tenderly play with her clit. A clit that was already dark pink and
swollen, the minute the nipple clamps went on.
Ruark watched his hand circle and rub the tiny nub that swelled
visibly under his fingers. He murmured as if to himself. “Hmm . . . this little
nub has not been introduced to a clamp as yet. It is an oversight I will have
to attend to.”
“Oh, shit no.”
“Shh, my pet.”  He got up and went to sit on the couch opposite her,
catching Quinlan watching from below and he waved him up. “Masturbate
for me, my pet. I want to watch you come.”
“But I . . .”
“Did I give you permission to talk, sub?”
“No, my Liege.”
“Then don’t keep me waiting.”
Stroking her hand down her belly, she circled her clit, first slowly
then faster, moaning when a flash of pleasure shot into her cunt. Ruark had
been building her need since the day before without release and she knew
she would not last long.
“Remember, my pet. You do not come until I tell you to.”
“Oh please. I am there.”
Courtney noticed Quinlan hovering in the door, but she continued to
thrash against her hand, desperate to ease the burning pressure throbbing
inside her.
“Quin, sit with me. My sub comes beautifully. I thought you might
like to watch.”
Quinlan sank down next to Ruark, his heart beating hard. He knew
Ruark well and realized he had made a decision.
 “Use both hands, my pet. Yes, fuck your cunt with three fingers and
pinch your clit for me, my pet.”
They watched as she struggled to keep her composure, sweat pooling
between her breasts as she undulated against her hand, pleading and crying.
“I beg you, my Liege. I need to come. Please.”
“Quin, when I tell you, I want you to yank on that chain.” Quinlan
rose and sat down next to her on the couch, watching Courtney’s hands
pumping into herself and pinching her clit.
“My pet, are you ready?”
“Oh, fuck yes.”
“Now, my pet. Come now.” And he nodded at Quinlan. He took the
chain that connected the nipple clamps and yanked it hard. Courtney
screamed and lifted her hips high, arching her back as her orgasm slammed
through her so hard and with so much intensity, she could not stop crying
out.
“Again, Quin.”
He yanked the chain. Another scream and shattering climax nearly
ripped her apart. The butt plug inside her added to the sensations rushing
through her core making them spread all over her body.
“Now, there’s a good girl.”
Ruark rose and came to sit next to her on the other side. He stroked
his big hand over her belly.
“What do you say, sub?”
“Thank you for a-allowing me to orgasm, my L-liege.”
“It was my pleasure, my pet.”
His hand continued a slow circling caress on her belly while Quinlan
stroked the slopes of her breasts. She looked up and caught Ruark’s eyes on
hers. He watched her. Intently, as if searching for something. Asking. No
begging. Gasping softly, she knew. She remembered his passionate
declaration about what Quinlan and Bracus did for him, how close they
were and how much he owed them.
Rather than give him an answer she closed her eyes and swallowed
hard. Would she be able to allow what he was asking? She opened her eyes
and looked at him again. His eyes were open and honest. He was not
asking. He wanted to . . . oh god no . . . he needed. If it were anything else,
she would have emphatically said no. But he needed. For the first time since
they’d met, he admitted a desire, a need that he begged her to fulfill.
 She took a deep breath and took his face between her hands.
“P-please just give me s-some time. I am not ready for something like
that. Not . . . yet.”
“Time, I can give you, Baby mine. As much as you need.”
Ruark and Quinlan’s eyes met. The warm smile they shared cemented
the answer Courtney knew she would give him. She knew Ruark would
look after her. He would not rush her. He pulled her up from the couch and
stood her in the center of the room. His smile was wicked.
“I am sure you are well prepared by now, my pet. I don’t want you
stretched too much. Bend over and grab your ankles.”
Courtney was aware of Quinlan’s warm body behind her. Uncertain
eyes flickered up at Ruark. He stroked her cheek.
“I promised you time, my love. Trust me.”
She bent over and grabbed her ankles.
“Eyes on your pussy, my pet. Come on, stick your head forward a
little more. I’ve got you.”
She groaned from embarrassment, but did as instructed. Now she had
a clear view of her pussy and ass. Ruark held her against him with his hands
around her hips.
“Take out that butt plug for me, Quin. But play around with it a bit
first. I think my sub wants to come again.”
“Oh fuck no. Please.”
Quinlan reached for the plug and pressed down on it, wiggling it
inside her ass and she groaned. Her pussy contracted immediately. He
stroked his hand down her thigh and rolled the butt plug in her ass. Ruark
ran his hand over her ass and gently separated her folds to press inside her
hot pussy.
“Quin, this is second best, but she is going to come just as hard. Fuck
her with me.”
“Ruark no. Ohohoh.”
“What did you call me, sub?”
“I am sorry, my Liege. Oh please.”
They set a furious rhythm. When Ruark pulled his fingers back,
Quinlan pushed the plug in. In and out, in and out until she was delirious.
Ruark scissored his fingers on either side of her clit. She pleaded, she
mewled and then she screamed as Ruark pinched her clit hard at the same
time Quinlan reached down to yank on the nipple chain. She came . . . no
she erupted, exploded and could not stop. She came again and again. Until
her legs gave out and Ruark had to hold her up. Quinlan gently removed the
butt plug and went to the private bathroom to clean it.
When he came back, Ruark was soothing Courtney on the couch. She
was still breathless, boneless and so satiated she did not think she would
ever be able to have another climax.
Quinlan sat down next to them and stroked her thigh. Ruark looked
into her eyes.
“That Baby, is only a small taste of what it will be like when we fuck
you together.
Oh fuck. He really planned on killing her! But shit, what a way to die.
Suddenly allowing Quinlan in their bed did not seem so daunting anymore.
 Chapter Nineteen

Courtney stood in front of the Saint Andrews Cross again, glaring first at it,
then at the dark man next to her. Ruark chuckled, turned her to face the X-
shape and secured her wrist cuffs to the upper rings. He bent down and did
the same with her ankles. He caressed a finger down her spread pussy.
“I want you open to me, my pet. I want to smell your arousal as it
increases.”
He stepped against her back and ran his fingers down her arm.
“Courtney, are you ready to begin our scene?”
“W-what are you going to do, my Liege?”
“It’s time for the whip, my pet. You are ready for me.”
His hands curved around her wrist, adding to her already frightening
sensation of being restrained, he pressed his groin into her from behind,
allowing his whole body to fuse with hers, forcing her ribs against the wood
in the middle.
He fisted his fingers in her hair and tugged her head to one side
allowing him to close his teeth on the curve between her neck and shoulder.
He bit down firmly, enough to hurt, waking her to his intent and her
helplessness to resist him.
“If you yell, mercy Sire . . . perhaps I will allow you a break.”
“My Liege . . .” Her eyes were round and full of need.
Ruark moaned and took her lips with his. Kissing her wildly. He
rubbed his hands over her shoulders and down her back to slap her hard on
her each ass cheek, in turn. Not too hard, but enough to warm the skin, then
he stroked the sting away and struck again. He ground his arousal against
her stinging ass and she moaned. He put his hand on her pussy and
chuckled in her ear.
“You just came hard, multiple times and you are soaked again,
Courtney.”
He ran his hands around her waist and stroked the straining tips of her
nipples between the grips of the clamps. He yanked the chain and she
moaned.
“I am going to make you hurt now, my pet,” he whispered hoarsely in
her ear. “I am going to whip you until you want to dance, until your scream
wakes the dead.”
 Tears welled in her eyes – and without realizing it, she pushed her ass
back against his cock. Then registered what he said and panicked.
“No please. Not the whip.”
She moved her body, straining away from him. He gripped her chin,
turned her face to his and watched her intently. Her eyes carried the pain he
had given her, showing some fear . . . and heat, more heat. Yes, his sub was
ready for him.
“Eyes on me, sub and do not look away,” snapped Ruark.
He squeezed her nipples and she whined, he savored the birth of the
fresh flash of pain in her eyes, and the way her body stiffened. Courtney
started to sweat as he ran his hands down her back to the wetness between
her legs. Teasing the folds, his fingers slipped inside and he played lazily
with her clit and cunt. Her little aroused noises increased his own lust. The
higher he kept her arousal, the more pain his little sub would be able to
take.
Ruark picked up a cane. “I am going to warm you up now, my pet.
Remember what I taught you with the flogger. Breathe and relax into it.”
He stroked the rattan over her legs, allowing her to feel its
smoothness, the hardness. Courtney stiffened and pulled at her restraints.
“Courtney.” She stilled and took a deep breath. “Baby, there will be
no pain now, this is only to warm you up for the whip.” He watched her, her
eyes still on him. “Do you trust me, my pet?”
“Yes, my Liege.” There was no hesitation and he smiled warmly at
her. She returned the smile with a trembling one of her own.
He started to tap lightly, now and then adding a soft stroke with his
palm, waking up the flesh on her back, butt and thighs. Stroking her heated
flesh with his free hand.
Her breathing slowed.
Ruark increased the intensity of the strokes, still more of a sting than
a blow. She was relaxed and even had a small smile on her lips, pushing her
ass toward him and he chuckled. Her ass was turning a pretty dark pink and
he was tempted to use his hand to darken it even more. Tossing the cane on
top of his toy bag he picked up a dragon tail whip. It had three feet of rolled
leather that opened into a sword-like shape, ending in a distinctive point.
The leather was thin and had a good whip sensation. The area that was
available to them was too small to use a bullwhip, which was his favorite,
but for her first time, the dragon tail was a better choice.
 Ruark rolled his shoulders and loosened his arm, snapping the tail a
few times and he watched Courtney flinch with every light crack of the
whip in the air. It was much lighter than a flogger – and he could wield it
for hours.
He let the end strike. Feeling the enjoyment surge through him at the
slapping sound, up and down her back, her ass, her upper thighs, still only a
warm-up. Finding his rhythm, he watched Courtney start to drift, her
breathing deepened and he slowed his strikes.
He stepped forward, balanced the whip on her shoulder and pressed
hard against her, rubbed up and down against her reddened skin, adding to
her pain, now from everywhere at once. Her gasp was music to his ears as
he quickly checked her restraints and circulation. Smiling warmly, he
looked into her eyes.
“Are you still with me, my pet?”
She smiled and blinked. “Yes, my Liege.”
“You still remember your safeword, my pet?”
“Red, my Liege.”
“Good, little one. You are doing very well. I’m proud of you.” He
kissed her lips and nibbled on them sharply while he yanked on her nipple
chain, eliciting a painful groan into his mouth. Running his hands
caressingly down her belly, he found her pussy soaking wet and puffy.
Courtney jerked against him as he penetrated her throbbing heat with a
finger.
Hot . . . fuck . . . such a wet sheath!
“Ready to continue, Baby? The real pain starts now.”
Her cunt clenched around his fingers and he chuckled. “Ahh, my pet.
I see that you are.”
He picked up the dragon tail, starting with a set immediately, up and
down her body to bring her back to the pain level where she was before.
Standing still for a moment, he held the tip of the tail in his free hand and
snapped it at her ass like a rolled-up towel. The end hit, and she jerked, her
skin jumping. Courtney sobbed and arched her back.
“How does that feel, sub? A bit more of a sting?”
Slap, slap, slap, slap.
Courtney gasped as her core clamped and fiery heat gushed down her
legs. The tail floated almost gently down her thighs, leaving light red
streaks in its wake. Ruark smiled at the satisfying cracking sound from the
leather striking her skin.
He continued up her legs, her ass, and her back. Snap, slap, snap,
slap. She released her first painful gasp.
“Oooh . . . Aarrgh!”
“Yes, my pet. That is what I am after. Give me more, Courtney.”
His cock slammed to full arousal at the expression of pleasure that
fluttered on her face and he drew back slightly, cracking the whip a little
lighter only for a moment. He worked her back into a heated sting, forcing
desperate cries from her lips that swelled his cock to steel hardness,
soothing his soul. She held nothing back as she slipped into subspace. Her
husky cries and moans drawing at his lust.
Ruark watched her closely as he continued. If she went too deep into
subspace, she would not be able to use her safeword and he needed her to
be aware. He lightened his strokes, eased back slowly, gently bringing her
back from subspace. Courtney was covered in a sheen of sweat and she
sagged forward against the cross. Her thighs were wet from her juices that
trickled from her pussy. Setting the whip down next to the cane, he walked
to her, leaning against her glowing back. His fingers surged into her cunt
and he grunted, she was drooling, she was so wet. In response, she pushed
her ass back pleadingly.
He gripped her hair and pulled her mouth to his, kissing her deeply,
then deeper as if he could devour her.
“Please Sire. Please.”
“Do you want me to fuck you, Courtney? Right here and now?”
“Yes. Please Sire. I need you now.”
“Then you shall have me, sub. You did well, Baby mine. I am proud
of you.”
Ruark drove his cock deep into her in one forceful surge. She
screamed as the world exploded in tiny splinters around her, immediately
upon his entrance. Contracting around his thickness, she trembled and
shuddered hard, weakening her legs. He held her in place, offering her relief
from the restraints on her wrists. Gripping her hips, he shifted his cock
inside her and began to move, slowly sliding in and out of her. A total
contradiction to the strength of the whipping.  He drew gasp after gasp from
her lips, which turned to moans as the sensations built to thundering heights
inside her core. Big and thick inside her. He sank so deep between her folds
that his balls slapped her pussy, sending waves of pleasure through her.
He increased his rhythm, until he was forcefully pumping into her.
Her legs quivered and she could not move, shuddering with each ruthless
thrust that sent shards of pleasure rushing through her. She mewled, she was
so close. Her pussy tightened and she fisted her hands. Ruark yanked on her
nipple chain and she screamed. Then louder, as she came harder than ever
before. Spasms with the force of a Tsunami ripped through her and set fire
to her whole body. He drove into her furiously and shouted, throwing his
head back as he came inside her. His knees buckled with the force of his
climax and he leaned into her, smiling at her gasp of pain.
Applause exploded around them and Courtney gasped, only then
realizing there was a large gathering of people watching.
“Oh shit. Not again.”
Ruark roared with laughter and pulled gently from her. “Don’t move,
my pet. I will be right back. He cleaned himself and did the same for her
with a warm wet cloth and towel. Then he gently smoothed arnica all over
her thighs, back and ass. He walked around the cross and looked at her,
caressing her cheek.
“One more thing, Baby. Deep breath, this is going to sting.”   He
gripped the clamp on her left breast and opened.  Courtney screamed as the
blood flow came back. Ruark took her nipple in his mouth and sucked as
she wailed, the pain increasing before it warmed and turned to pleasure. He
released her nipple and reached for the other. “One more, Baby.” He
repeated the process and soothed both breasts between his large hands,
before he walked around the cross again, to release her ankle and wrist
cuffs. He caught her in his arms and she cried out as his hard arms caught
her. Quinlan wrapped a blanket around her.
“Thanks, Quin. Please ask Lesley to clean the station for me. We’ll be
upstairs.”
Ruark carried her up the stairs and found an empty seating area with a
couch and chairs toward the side of the entertainment room. Ryder walked
over and handed him two bottles of energy water.
“Hell of a show, my Liege. Hell of a show indeed. Can I bring you a
drink?”
“Yes, a whiskey straight up for me and an Apple Martini for
Courtney.”
 He smoothed her hair away and smiled at her. She trembled a smile
back at him. She lifted her hand and gently stroked down his cheek.
“I need to say something, which I hope won’t chase you away.”
“I’m listening, Baby.”
“I love you, Ruark.”
His eyes darkened and his arms tightened around her. Fuck! How did
this woman manage to floor him all the time!
“Jesus, baby mine, you could have waited until we’re alone to tell me
that!”
His lips closed around hers and the kiss was love itself.   His eyes
turned light and glittered with emotions.
“I love you more, Courtney.”
She gasped and struggled to sit up. His arms tightened. “You do?”
His eyes hardened and she cringed.
“How is it Courtney, that I believe you without question, yet you
question me?”
She lowered her eyes in shame. “Maybe because sometimes I am just
plain stupid and scared.”
“About what?”
“That I would lose you.”
“Courtney, I love you. I am not going anywhere. Baby mine, look at
me . . . will you marry me, Courtney?”
Now she cried openly and smiled blindingly through her tears. She
nodded.
“Y-yes . . . I will marry you, just try to stop me.”
He drew her in a bone crushing hug, which he did not loosen even
with her cry of pain.
 Chapter Twenty

Ruark was smiling broadly when Sloan, Hagan and Quinlan joined them
and slumped down on the couch and chairs around them. Courtney wiggled
uncomfortably, aware that she was naked underneath the blanket. She
whispered in Ruark’s ear.
“May I please go and dress, my Liege.”
He whispered back, “You do know I like you naked more, my pet. I
also like others to admire your beauty.”
She nodded and bit her lip. His eyes hardened.
“Courtney, do you remember what I said I’d do if I catch you bite that
lip again?”
She paled and immediately loosened her teeth. “I am sorry, my Liege.
I am trying.”
He gave her a hard swat on her ass. “Go.”  Ruark watched her go with
a smile on his lips. Hagan shook his head.
“He has definitely lost it, Buds. Just look at him. He is a love-struck
fool.” Ruark’s eyebrows quirked and he looked at Hagan, who chuckled
unconcernedly. “Just stating the facts, my Liege.”
Jason and Lindsey joined them. His cousin looked at him with
concern. “Are you aware that Shelly and David are here, Ruark?”
“What!” Sloan sat forward and frowned sternly.
“Yes, I am aware of it. I gave them a pass for tonight. They are in
town and wanted to come and play.”
“Are you fucking crazy, Bud?” Sloan’s hands were fisted. Even
Quinlan glared at him, although he already knew.
“Sloan, I am over it. Have been for eight years. Relax.”
One of the Senior Masters interrupted and Ruark rose to chat with
him. Just as he turned to sit back down, a deep husky voice called his name.
He turned and his arms were filled with a tall, soft female body. Her arms
wrapped around his neck and she pressed against him. He smelled her sweet
perfume. His hands lifted to her hips.
“Darling! Thank you for allowing us―”
“I suggest you get your hands off your . . . darling and remove your
body from his. Better be quick about it too, Blondie, I am not a very patient
person.”
 Courtney’s voice was cold and low, she was shivering with anger.
Ruark watched her over Shelly’s shoulder. Quinlan was wrong, his body did
not even twitch when Shelly pressed against him, but the moment he heard
his sub’s husky voice, he soared.
Shelly turned but still kept one hand around Ruark’s neck. She ran her
eyes up and down Courtney’s body, and then stroked her hand over Ruark’s
chest. Courtney followed the caress and further down to notice the bulge in
his pants. She froze and Ruark cursed.
“Are you going to allow your sub to be so insolent toward your ex-
wife, Ruark Darling?” Courtney stiffened slightly, then fury burst inside her.
“Fuck his sub. This is his future wife talking. I am not going to tell
you again. Get the fuck away from him. He is mine!” Her eyes slashed up to
Ruark’s. “And I seriously suggest, my love, that you remove your hands
from this bitches’ body if you know what is good for you.”
Fire lit behind Ruark’s eyes and he looked down. Fuck. He did not
even realize his hands were on her hips. He placed them there to push her
away when Courtney arrived. His hands dropped, but his eyes seared into
hers.
“Shelly! Here. Now!” The blonde woman immediately dropped her
hands and literally ran to the man that had come to stand next to Courtney.
He gripped her hair and yanked her to her knees. She cowered against him
and dropped her head on her knees, her hands behind her back.
“Well now, that is a good look on her,” Courtney spat. She glowered
at Ruark and stomped past him with swaying hips to take a seat between
Sloan and Hagan, forcing them to make space for her. They chuckled at her
deliberate shunning of the space where she and Ruark sat before.
Ruark pulled his eyes from her with difficulty. Fuck. He loved it when
she sassed him. She was so damn beautiful and sensual. His hard gaze
touched on Shelly who now sat on her legs and watched them. His jaw
clenched.
“I made it very clear you are here to play and if you break any rule,
you are out. One of the very pertinent rules in this club is that no sub
touches a Dom or a Master without his permission. I don’t fit either of those
categories, do I Shelly?”
“N-no, my Liege.”
“Where do I fit?”
 “Y-you’re the King. No one touches you, no matter where, without
your permission.”
“Except my future wife. She has free access.”
His eyes lifted to David. His eyes were shuttered. David’s eyes fell in
front of his and he nodded.
“We are leaving, my Liege. Thank you for offering us your hospitality
and I apologize for my sub’s bad behavior. She will be suitably punished.”
He gripped the blonde locks, turned and started to walk, leaving her
to crawl after him, dragging her by her hair. Quinlan whistled.
“I see what you mean by refusing to give her what she needed. Good
riddance, I’d say.”
Ruark’s eyes were dark when they turned and settled on Courtney.
She refused to look at him and kept her eyes on the dancers on the stage, a
mutinous look on her face. Then Lindsey suddenly sat upright.
“Wait! Your future wife? You asked her?” She swung to look at
Courtney. “He asked you?”
Courtney snorted. “Yes, but I am rethinking my answer.”
“As I am rethinking not punishing you for your insolence, sub.”
“Insolence! You . . . you . . . b-baboon!”
Lindsey gasped. The men strangling their laughter back. Ruark’s jaw
tightened.
“Courtney.”
She jumped up and closed the distance between them, anger
shimmering in her eyes. She stabbed her fingertip into his chest. Ruark did
not move. Everyone in the club stopped and stared.
“Do. Not. Courtney. Me. You should have warned me.”
“It was club business. There was no need.”
“Club business. No need. Fuck that! She is your ex and you invited
her here. I should have known. This is not how a relationship works,
Ruark.”
His eyes darkened and Sloan started to throw caution her way.
“Easy Sears.”
She huffed and glowered at Ruark. He crossed his arms over his chest
and towered over her. She became aware that the club had gone quiet, but
her anger was too high. Her hurt was even greater.
“You need to be careful, my pet.”
 “Or what? You’re going to punish me? What do I get to do, Master
Ruark?” She shoved him against his chest, but he did not Budge.
Amusement started to glitter in his eyes, feeding her anger. Sloan and
Hagan noticed his look and groaned.
“You hurt me and you find it amusing?”
She took a step back and before anyone could blink, she did a
spinning kick to his abdomen. He grunted and was set back a few steps with
the force of the hit. He straightened, his eyes hard.
“You should not have done that, Courtney.”
Courtney breathed haggardly, tears burning behind her eyes. Ruark’s
eyes narrowed. Fuck, he really messed up.
“Why not? You fucking deserved it.”
“That is twenty-three, Courtney.”
She erupted in a string of expletives and he took a step closer, his
anger rising.
“Enough!”
She blinked her eyes and the tears started to fall.
“I hate you, Ruark Greer. You do not get to do this to me. You do
not.”
She spun around and ran toward the entrance. Sobs tore through her.
She felt like an idiot. How could she have allowed her emotions to totally
get out of control? Why did they get out of control so badly? She ran down
the stairs toward the docks. She needed to get away from here. From him.
She screamed when a hard hand yanked her back. “Let me go! I am
leaving. I need to leave!”
“Courtney, stop.” His deep, gravelly voice immediately penetrated her
brain and she stopped struggling. Breathing hard. Her chest rising and
falling rapidly. Tears still running down her cheeks. 
He spun her around, clasping her hard around her shoulders. His eyes
seared into hers, a deep frown on his face. She had the right to be upset, but
she had lost control. There was more at play here. She trembled in his arms,
her eyes still flashed furiously at him. Then he noticed the heat . . . pure
heat and lust that burned even higher than her anger.
 Ruark lifted her over his shoulder and she shrieked when he turned
back to the club. She beat her fists against his back and tried to kick. His
hand clamped around her calves and he smacked her hard on her ass.
“Behave.”
 She kept struggling and screamed furiously at the pain that shot
through her.
Whack, whack, whack, whack.
He ran up the stairs as if he did not have her hanging, like a sack of
potatoes, over his shoulder and stalked toward his office. He walked
through the darkened room and opened a door next to the private bathroom.
She barely registered that it was a bedroom when she was flung on the bed
to land on her stomach. Ruark grabbed her hands, yanked her higher on the
bed and clipped her wrist cuffs to the chains attached. She pulled back and
tried to kick him. He snorted and pulled the chain tighter until her hands
were against the headboard. He opened the drawer and she shrieked when
she saw him taking out a large knife.
“You wouldn’t fucking dare!”
“At the rate you’re cursing tonight you’ll be sucking cock for two
weeks straight.”
And then he dared. He placed the blunt edge of the knife between her
back and the tight strings of the corset and cut it from her body. He
immediately did the same with her skirt, before he ripped it from her and
threw it on the floor. He opened another drawer and produced two long
black sashes that he tied around her knees. He pulled a chain from the
headboard and Courtney started to struggle.
“No!”
Ruark ignored her and hooked the loop he had made in the material
onto the clip attached to the chain. He pulled the chain and drew her knee
up until it was as high as her waist. He did the same with her other leg.
“Please . . . what are you doing?”
“Exactly what needs to be done to a disrespectful sub.”
“I . . . I don’t . . .”
“Quiet. You do not talk, unless it is to beg or answer a question. Is
that clear?”
She pressed her lips together. The silence around them deafening.
“Courtney.”
“Yes.”
Again, the deep silence, Ruark waiting. Courtney resisting.
“Do not test me, sub.”
“Yes, my Liege.”
 Ruark took her hips and flipped her on her knees, her legs spread
wide and she moaned. Her shoulders were on the bed, her ass stuck out in
the air and pushed all the way back. Her pussy was spread so wide, she
could feel the cold air on her heated inner labia.
This was so not fucking fair! He was the one that did wrong, now she
was being punished.
He opened another drawer and started laying things out next to her on
the bed. Her eyes widened and she whimpered. A pussy whip, a short strap,
a crop, a cane, a forked clit vibrator, lube, an 8-inch-long curved vibrator,
chain and a ball gag.
She furiously shook her head when she saw the last item, her eyes
pleading. Again, he ignored her, and then said, “I will use it if you continue
to curse at me.”
Her eyes widened as he continued to search the drawer to add two
smallish and one larger suction cups to the stash and she gasped at the final
item he threw down on the bed. A pussy spreader. Oh fuck! He slammed the
drawer shut. Stood and slowly undressed. His eyes on her the whole time.
“I accepted your anger, your insolence and even the tantrum you
threw in full view of the whole club, and I would have let it slide, because I
understood why you were angry. But you should not have physically
attacked me in front of the club members, Courtney. You have jeopardized
us being together in this club by doing that. This is part of my life and I
need it. You are the one I chose to share it with and I still intend to, but you
need to learn there are consequences for your actions. No one else would
have excused you for any of the others, so count yourself lucky, sub.”
“What―”
“Quiet.  I did not permit you to speak,” he snapped harshly.
“You will take all I am going to do to you here, now won’t you
Courtney?”
“Y-yes.”
“Are you going to safeword out?”
“Oh lord, this is not fair.”
“Answer the question.” His voice was soft, yet hard at the same time.
“Please I have a question.”
“Ask.”
“A-are you going t-to use all of these?”
“Yes, sub. I am. Now, your answer.”
 Courtney sobbed and looked at the items spread out beside her on the
bed. She drew a staggering breath.
“No, my Liege. I won’t safeword out.”
“Wrong answer, Courtney. I told you before, no matter the
circumstances you always have the right to use your safeword. I need your
promise that you will use it if this gets too much.”
“But I deserve to be punished.”
“Yes, you do, but I will not continue until I have your promise and
know you mean it.”
“What will happen if you don’t punish me?”
“The members will demand to do it on my behalf.”
“Oh god no. I-I promise. I will use my safeword.”
“As I said before, if you do, I will always honor it. Remember that,
Courtney. You will walk downstairs afterwards, naked and publicly
apologize to me and the members for your actions.” His voice lowered.
“Won’t you Courtney?”
She sobbed, his eyes scorching hers with determination and . . .
disappointment.
“Yes, my Liege.”
“If you cannot walk, I will carry you, sub.”
She closed her eyes and started to pray. Ruark’s eyes narrowed. Her
belly clenched, her pussy wept. Her skin shivered when he ran his fingers
down her spine, down the crack in her butt, over her wet pussy to circle her
clit.
“Now I wonder . . . what shall we start with, sub? Don’t worry, my
pet. I know your back and ass are still sore from the whipping. I intend to
focus on . . . other areas.”
He picked up the phone on the side table and dialed a two-digit
number. “Ryder, please announce that my sub intends to apologize to all
members and me for her behavior and requests that everyone remain until
her punishment is over. Arrange with the kitchen for hot snacks to be served
in an hour or so. They might have to wait for two hours. Perhaps Bracus
could do a violet wand scene and I am sure Sloan and Hagan would be
willing to do something as well.”
Ruark replaced the receiver in the cradle and ran his hand over
Courtney’s ass. She tried to move away and he slapped her hard. She
gasped furiously. What happened to focusing on the other areas? Did he say
two hours? Double fucking shit!
“Let’s start with cupping, my pet. I want those nipples and clit
swollen so the pussy whip can be much more effective. Straighten your
arms. Up on all fours, sub.”
Courtney straightened her arms, which pressed her head against the
headboard in an extremely uncomfortable position. Ruark watched her
intently, but did not slacken the chains. Picking up one cup, he wet it a little
and then placed it over her nipple, pulling at her breast until the cup sucked
tight around her areola. He watched her face and squeezed the pump. Once
the cup was filled nearly halfway, he stopped, nodded and quickly repeated
the process with the other nipple. Courtney flinched. Her nipples were sore
from the clamps and now with the constant suction they throbbed painfully.
He picked up the larger cup and sat down between her legs. Settling the cup
over her pussy, he wiggled it to get a better fit to get as much as he wanted
in there, before he set it to suck tight. Courtney gasped. The sensations were
rushing all the way to her toes.
“Enjoy, sub . . . it is probably the last thing you will enjoy for the next
few hours.” He got up and walked toward the door. Courtney became
hysterical.
“NO!  Please don’t leave me alone.”
He was back immediately, his hands smoothing her trembling back.
“I’m here, my pet. I’m not going anywhere.”
He played on and off with the cups, sometimes increasing the
suctions, sometimes reducing them until he removed them after fifteen
minutes. He cupped her breasts and squeezed her nipples.
“Beautiful. So, plump and swollen now.”
He crawled between her legs and lay on his back staring at her pussy.
He chuckled. “Now there is a sight I love. This is going to be fun, sub. You
are going to feel more than you have ever felt before.” His hand cupped her
pussy and she cried out.
“Oh damn! It feels enormous.”
“Yeah, my pet. Your clit is swollen to five times its normal size and
protruding all the way from the hood. Your pussy lips are puffy and open.”
And sensitive. She was on the verge of climaxing from the soft gentle
touch of his hand. Standing on his knees behind her, he leaned forward to
pick up the pussy whip and she whimpered.
 Oh fuck, this is going to hurt.
His voice was soft when he whispered cruelly in her ear. “Remember
the punishment from the Senior Masters, sub? That was a mosquito sting
compared to what you’re going to feel now.”
“Oh fuck, please no! I . . . aahhh!”
She screamed when the first punishing strike struck her pussy. Ruark
was right, it was agony and she knew he was not even hitting her hard. He
did not stop, but now she could feel each one was harder than the previous.
The swollen and sensitive folds of her pussy quivering and shining with her
juices.
Whack, whack, whack.
She was still crying out when the following four fell on her nipples
and she keened pitifully.
Whack, whack, whack, whack.
The way he had tied her kept her in place. She had no way to move
out of the way from the punishing hits.
She started to cry, whimper and finally beg, but he did not relent and
gave her another two sets of four on each area. He dropped the whip, leaned
over her back, cupped her breasts in his hands and pinched her nipples. Her
head reared up and she moaned, whether in pain or need, she did not know.
He ran his hands over her belly to rub and pinch her large, protruding and
swollen clit.
“AAAHHH! P-p-please.”
He chuckled. “You beg so nicely, sub. Just as much as your sobbing
cunt.” He pushed two fingers inside her and started pumping furiously,
pushing her forward against the headboard with the force he was using.
Courtney gasped, amazed at the heat and pressure inside her, ready to pop.
“You do not have permission to come.” He crouched behind her and
licked her pussy then pulled her clit in his mouth and sucked it hard.
“Oh fuck. S-s-stop.”
Now she could feel the size of her clit. She could feel his lips curling
around it, his tongue playing with the swollen Bud and he pulled it so deep
she shivered. He pulled back, allowing her clit to slide slowly from between
his lips and she keened.
“P-please, my Liege. I need . . .”
“No. You don’t.”
 Fuck you! How could he not know how desperate she needed to
come? But he knew. Oh, god the cruel bastard knew. And then she knew
too. Her punishment was not going to be all pain. The pain would be in
arousing her to distraction and not allowing her to come.
“Shoulders back on the bed, sub. I want that ass high in the air. It is
time to fuck it and fuck it well.”
“No! Please not when you’re this angry.”
“I am not angry, my pet. I am disappointed.”
He picked up the sadistic looking fork vibrator as well as the curved
vibrator. He pressed it against her open pussy lips.
“So, fucking wet. I don’t even need to use lube.” He kept pushing
until it was all the way in. He picked up the fork vibrator, she heard a low
hum and he laid it on her mound, then moved it lower until the two ends
just bracketed her swollen clit. She jerked, Ruark slapped her ass. “Keep
still.”
He picked up the lube and Courtney whimpered and panted.
“Yellow, please y-y-yellow.”
Ruark hesitated, and then waited. “Are you going to safeword out,
sub?”
“N-no . . . I just need . . . I just need . . .” She panted and tried to take
deep breaths. Her hands clasped in fists. “Please take the vibrator out. I-it
will be too much.”
“No. It stays. Ready sub?”
He waited and eventually she nodded. He did not move, still watching
her intently.
“Yes, my Liege.”
Dropping the fork vibrator, he switched it off then spread her cheeks.
Courtney stiffened, he smacked her ass. Whack, whack. He squirted a large
amount of lube on her puckered hole and rubbed his fingers around it, then
gently pushed his finger in. There was no such thing as going slow, he went
in all the way and she cried out at the intrusion. He added another finger
and quickly stretched her, his impatience clear in his harsh breathing.
She heard the rustle of foil, then another squirt and a few seconds
later, he pulled her buttocks open again, and the tip of his cock probed her
tender anus.
Oh damn!
 He pushed in and Courtney arched her neck, throwing her head back.
Ow, ow, ow, ow! She pushed up on her arms, but his hand in the middle of
her back held her down, keeping her in place for his ruthless entrance.
“Courtney, this is happening now. You know the drill. You can either
work with me or I push in in one go. Push back. Now!”
She whimpered and then she tried to push back, but her muscles kept
closing, working against him. Slick with lube he kept pushing forward, then
retreating, slowly and gradually working his way in.
The tight ring of muscles burned and stretched, desperately trying to
adjust to his size – his massive size. And oh fuck. It hurt. She panted
fearfully as he advanced, then her whole lower half seemed to flare awake,
as he pressed harder and deeper against the curved vibrator inside her cunt.
“That’s it, my pet. You can do this. You can take me.
Her cheek rubbed against the soft bedding and she squirmed and
whined as he impaled her, his hand on her back, still holding her in place.
The heat of his groin and thighs settled against her thighs and she
whimpered. He was all the way in.
“Hurt, my pet?”
“Yes. Fuck yeeeessss!” She wailed tearfully.
“That is excellent then, sub.” He chuckled, catching her hips in an
unyielding grip and drew back unhurriedly. He surged back in, over and
over and she cried out desperately. He added some more lube and she
trembled.
He leaned over her back and whispered in her ear, “I’ll go slow next
time, Baby. Now, I am in too much need and I’m going to fuck this ass
hard.”
He thrust then, harder and faster until all she could hear was the slap-
slap of their bodies against each other as he rammed into her. The
sensations he created with the furious friction inside her shot to her cunt,
which pulsed around the vibrator inside her. She felt so stretched, so full,
she was scared to breathe. Ruark changed position, drove harder and at a
deeper angle, forcing the vibrator hard against her G-spot.
She cried out, begging. Her body consumed with need.
“You may come, my pet.”
Courtney mewled, her lower legs thrashing to and fro beneath the
bindings around her knees. She clawed at the bedding with her fists and the
world dissolved around her. As she contracted around the vibrator and his
cock, she screamed out in pleasure so great that it was nearly agony. In her
mind, she felt as if she would be torn apart with the fullness inside her.
With a rough, guttural growl, Ruark plunged into her so deeply and so
forcefully, that she felt his groin grind against her and then the rush of heat
as he came.
Both of them battled to breathe, their gasping breaths echoed in the
silence around them. Ruark was still buried deep inside her and she felt him
twitch. Oh Lord . . . he can’t mean to . . . oh fuck!
He felt her panic when his cock twitched, needing more. He took a
deep breath and started to withdraw, then remembered it was punishment.
His mouth grim he rolled a clean condom on and he pushed back inside her
ass. She whimpered fearfully.
 “You do remember this is punishment, sub.”
Before she could cry out, he squirted more lube on his cock and
surged deeper. She thrashed beneath him. Her ass burned. It only spurred
him on. A low hum started and he reached for the remote next to her head.
Courtney wailed when the vibrator inside her started to pulse. He increased
the speed and when he added the forked vibrator to her still heavily swollen
clit she whined, then screamed when he started to plunge into her. Just as
strong, fast and deep as before.
“My apologies, my pet. It seems . . . slower . . . will . . .  have to . . .
wait for . . . later!”
He concentrated to last longer before reaching his climax, but
Courtney had one orgasm after another. Her body was helpless against the
onslaught of the three different stimulations. When he slammed into her one
final time much, she screamed desperately as another climax tore through
her and everything went black around her.
 Chapter Twenty-One

Courtney came to and blinked her eyes. She was still in Ruark’s private
bedroom, the soft bedside lamps illuminating the room. She was now lying
on her back, her arms and legs still tied to the headboard. Her knees pulled
up to nearly her shoulders. She could not help it. She started to cry.
The bed dipped beside her and she turned her head. Ruark sat
watching her. His face impassive, his eyes hard.
“I’m sorry. P-please I can’t take anymore. I b-b-beg you.” Her chest
heaved with the sobs. Ruark reached out and ran his hand over her belly, her
chest and down her cheek.
“Calm down, my pet.”
She took deep shuddering breaths, forcing the tears back.
“P-please Sire.”
“I need you to listen and understand well, Courtney. This is
happening because of your actions toward me as the highest level of
authority in the BDSM community. Had you waited until we got home to
act, we would have had a shouting match and I would have whipped your
ass and it would have been over. You still don’t get it. I don’t just play at
BDSM lifestyle. I drive it, I evolve it and everyone looks to me when there
is trouble or are decisions to be made. I am the Chairman of the Global
BDSM community, Courtney. You became part of that life when you
accepted my collar, when you said yes to becoming my wife.”
She clamped her mouth between her teeth and she trembled. Oh god,
she fucked up royally!
“Surely Quinlan told you all of this during the training sessions you
had with the group?” His voice had softened and she nodded.
“Because you chose to act here, you have to carry the punishment that
goes with it. This is a Dominant world. You do not get to behave as you did
and have it swept under the rug. You know that and should have expected
there to be retribution. There might still be a demand from the members for
more punishment . . . publicly.”
She shook her head and wailed, tears gathering again. He stroked her
breasts and slowly pinched her nipples, harder and harder until she thrashed
against his hand. He released them and she screamed as the blood rushed
back into the tips.
 “Unless I do this well and they are satisfied, when I take you down,
that you were punished properly. Are you ready for more, my pet?”
“Nonononononono. I can’t p-please”
He leaned closer and looked at her sternly.
“Courtney, enough. Take a deep breath. You are a strong woman and I
know you can do this. You’ve only one very weak whipping, the rest were
pleasurable. Use your safeword if you are too scared to continue, but don’t
pretend it is because you are in pain or have been punished harshly. We both
know that is not the case. Do not disappoint me any further tonight.”
He said the magic words. She knew she had overreacted. She still
didn’t know why and she hated that he was disappointed in her. In the
blatant disrespect, not only against him as the highest authority of the
BDSM community, but also as her life mate, her future husband and more
than anything, here in the club, her Dominant. She took a deep breath.
“I am ready, Sire.”
“I like that, my pet. It has a good sound on your lips.”  He watched
her, running his hands down her belly to flick her protruding clit, then
rubbed her labia, before he took one side between his fingers, pinched it and
pulled. Courtney gasped.
He leaned forward and she watched as he picked up the pussy
spreader, her eyes widening. Oh shit, oh shit! A specially designed one
spread both the labia as the walls of the pussy open.
He positioned it over her pussy and carefully started to spread her
lips, then her cunt until she felt on the verge of tearing open. She panted,
her chest heaving. He watched her and looked down at her pussy.
“You can take more, my pet. Relax. I want this cunt open wide.”
“Nnnoooo.”
“Yes.”   He kept spreading the sides wider until she begged him to
stop, sure she was about to tear. “The hood is pulled all the way back. Your
clit is fully exposed. That’s beautiful.”
He reached into her and she saw his finger disappear, but felt nothing,
then he added another and she felt a flutter against her walls. Oh shit! She
was really spread open. Her eyes were wide and terrified.
“W-what are you going to do? Please, I am scared!”
He nodded to the bed beside her. She turned her head and began to
hyperventilate. The pussy whip was still there, but also a crop, a short
narrow leather strap attached to a wooden handle . . . and a cane. But that
was not all. There was also a long glass dildo consisting of four fused balls.
Starting small and increasing in diameter. Both the curved and fork
vibrators were lying a little off to the side.
He picked up the glass butt plug and she whimpered. Her ass was still
tender and she felt it with every breath she took. He squirted lube on it and
on her puckered hole and pushed it all the way in with one firm shove.
Courtney arched her back and keened, but settled as the stinging gave way
to soothing coolness. He must have used a cooling gel to soothe her.
“T-thank you.”
He nodded and picked up the pussy whip. Her eyes were glued to it
and she was scared out of her mind, certain it would hurt more than she
could bear. But she would. One way or another, she would get through this.
He began to flick the whip over her breasts, then gave four hard
whacks directly on each nipple and she arched her back, moaning. He did
not stop and added an immediate four, in succession, to each.
Whack, whack, whack, whack.
The pain pulsed through Courtney, she yanked desperately on her
restraints and then wailed when the next strike took her breath away,
burning all the way to her soul. Right into her cunt. She tried to catch her
breath, but the whack, whack, whack, whack that followed had her strain
against the restraints, her eyes widened and sobs racked her body.
“Ohgodohgodohgod!”
The following four fell directly on her fully exposed clit and she
wailed, whined and screamed while thrashing desperate to get out of the
way.
Whack, whack, whack, whack.  
When the last strike fell, she screamed in surprised pleasure and her
body convulsed. She climaxed so hard, her feet curled to the ceiling, her
breath long lost. Good lord, how could she climax, while being punished?
“Ahh, beautiful, my pet. Just look at all of that cream oozing out.”
He switched to the strap and immediately thereafter the crop. Once
again it felt as if he was stroking her with the tools, not whipping her, and
her breath wheezed through her teeth. Ruark watched every flash of pain
warring with arousal and need followed by a loss of breath with each strike.
His smile at the end was completely devilish when, once again, she erupted
in a climax. By now her whole body was one trembling mass. Her pussy
and nipples were swollen and red setting every little muscle in her body
aquiver. Sweat covered her from head to toe.
He picked up the cane and then the real test began. If she thought she
knew desperation for release before, she was wrong. He started the tapping
on her nipples, and then struck up and down her thighs. She took a deep
breath, realizing he was giving her no more than love pats with the cane.
Arousing her higher and higher. And oh, thank god.
“Courtney look at me.”
She panted and it took a while for her to listen and look at him. The
cane hovered over her clit. He flicked his wrist and tapped the cane straight
on her clit. Smack!   “Come, sub.” She wailed and he watched the cream
spurt thickly from her spread open pussy. He waited until her inner muscles
relaxed. He flicked his wrist. Smack! “Come, sub.” He repeated it ten times.
Each time he flicked his wrist it was with a little more force.
Each time he ordered her to come.
Each time, she came.
Courtney was delirious, completely spaced out, crying brokenly and
her eyes rolled in her head. She was weak from all the orgasms he’d wrung
from her. He threw the cane down and slowly released the pussy spreader.
He went to fetch a warm wet cloth and started to wipe her body down and
right at the end tenderly cleaned her weeping cunt. He slowly removed the
butt plug and went to the bathroom to clean it. He took a tube of arnica
from the drawer and spread it generously over her nipples, her thighs, clit
and a special gel inside her cunt.
He reached up to unclip her wrist cuffs, and the sashes around her
knees. He took the cuffs off and cursed when he noticed the redness around
her wrists and below her knees. He slowly massaged her legs and rubbed
soothing cream on the redness where she had yanked on her restraints.
“It’s time, Courtney.”
He lifted her from the bed and put her on her feet next to it. She
managed to stand, but her legs wobbled, still trembling from the multiple
climaxes he’d wrung from her. He caught her in his arms, his jaw rigid. He
picked her up, walked out the door, through his office and lengthened his
strides down the hallway toward the stairs. He heard the noise in the
entertainment room dwindle to silence, the moment they noticed him
walking toward the stairs, with the sobbing woman in his arms.
 He strode up the stairs to the elevated bar that had cleared the moment
he started up the stairs. He lowered Courtney to the floor and her knees still
wobbled. Ruark looked into her eyes and cursed. Fuck! She was still
orgasmic. He had pushed her over the edge. She had no control over the
orgasms that gripped her and would not let her go.
“Ahh, Baby. Why did you not tell me?”
“I . . . d-deserve to suf-fer.”
He sat down on a bar stool and lifted her on his lap. He shoved three
fingers inside her and pumped hard and fast, feeling her muscles clench and
milk at him desperately. Courtney’s head lolled back and she just moaned,
too spent to even scream. He kept going until the clenching eased, then
pulled his fingers out. He drew her upright and looked at her sternly, his
voice low and harsh.
“Courtney, are you with me?”
“Yes, Sire.”
“Let’s get this over with.”
Ryder handed him the microphone, pity shining in his eyes when he
looked at Courtney.
Ruark held the microphone in front of Courtney, but she shook her
head. He stiffened.
“P-put me d-down.”
He stood up and slowly lowered her feet to the floor. She took a few
deep breaths and took the microphone from Ruark. Her voice was soft and
hoarse from all the screaming and crying.
“M-members of Club Alpha Cove, I sincerely apologize f-for my
unforgivable actions a-against y-your Liege, Ruark. This was the second
time and I p-promise the last. I have learned my lesson. I will never be
disrespectful toward my Sire ever a-again.”
She made a point of scanning the whole room, trying to touch as
many eyes as she could. She slowly turned to Ruark, her eyes sad and
pleading.
“Sire, I am so, so sorry for disappointing you. I h-have no excuse for
my actions and I should have known better. I am ashamed that I have f-
forced you to punish me, that I have disrespected you so thoroughly. I am . .
. please forgive me. I l-l-oo . . . sob . . . l-loov . . . sob . . .”
She started crying so hard she could not continue. She sank down on
her knees in front of him and wrapped her arms around his legs.
 Ruark’s eyes misted. It was the first time she had knelt in front of
him. He placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair. The club erupted.
Clearly satisfied with the punishment and her apology. The redness of her
nipples and pussy, swollen and protruding clit and the slight red welts on
her thighs were a clear sign that Ruark took her punishment seriously, albeit
carefully. None of the welts would leave any bruising or marks on her skin.
Ruark knelt in front of her and took her face between his hands. Her
eyes were still sad.
“I’m really sorry, Ruark. I don’t know why I overreacted so badly.
Please don’t be angry any more. I love you so m-much. This is . . . it is too
much. I don’t know if I can do this. I am not the right woman for you. But I
. . . I love you . . . and I can’t walk away. I just can’t.”
“Baby mine. I love you just the way you are. I don’t want you to ever
change. Just please, my love. Think before you act. Always. Especially
here. And I would not allow you to walk away, woman. You belong to me
and I will never let you go. I will always fetch you back. Always.”
He pulled her forward and kissed her with all the pent-up emotions
and love he had to suppress over the past two hours. He tasted the renewed
saltiness of her tears on his lips and held her tighter against him. Quinlan
wrapped a blanket around her the moment Ruark picked her up and started
to the door. He needed to get his little FBI sub home. She needed to sleep
and he needed to hold her in his arms while she did.
 Chapter Twenty-Two

Courtney stretched, then cried and froze. Damn, damn. Everything hurt.
Even every muscle in her body.
Her nipples were sore.
Her clit was sore.
Her asshole burned.
Her pussy pulsed and throbbed.
And I am such a wimp! He did not even punish me harshly.
In fact, thinking back, she realized he had hardly punished her.
Mostly the strikes he gave her were nothing more than love pats, meant to
arouse more than offer pain. He gave her a midway, a little pain that
catapulted her need sky high and made her climax uncontrollable at the end.
She couldn’t even be angry and realized that she deserved every single
strike she got. Courtney still could not believe she did something so violent
and disrespectful to the man she loved. The man she committed to as her
Dominant.
Ruark’s face appeared in front of her and she smiled weakly. He
watched her intently, and then he kissed her lips softly, oh, so softly.
“How do you feel, my love?”
“I’m too scared to move.”
She wanted him to smile, she needed him to smile, but he didn’t. He
just watched her with a twitch in his temple. Reaching up she laid her hand
against his cheek.
“I am sorry I forced you to punish me. I did not know why I reacted
the way I did at the time, but I do now. I was scared . . . so damn scared.
Seeing you standing with a beautiful woman in your arms and then hearing
it was your ex . . . whom you have not seen for eight years . . . the only
thought that went through my mind was that you realized she was who you
still loved. I panicked. I . . . we have not been together very long at all . . .
but I do know I need you in my life. I can’t be without you . . . ever. I’m
sorry, honey. I will never, ever do anything like that again.”
“I hated it, Courtney. Every minute of it. Even fucking your ass,
which I have been craving for so long, did not feel right. You do know I am
partly sadist, but when we play and for my pleasure as well as yours. Not
like last night. Never like last night. I never want to have to do that again.
Do you hear me? Never!”
She nodded, reached up and pulled him down on top of her, wrapped
her arms around his neck and held tight. He pushed his hands between the
bed and her back and hugged her so tight, she could not breathe.
“It is you I love, Courtney Sears. I have only ever loved you. Until
you, there has been no other.”  She smiled into his eyes.
“As soon as all the pain is gone, honey, my ass is yours.”
He chuckled. “Oh Baby, you can fucking bet on it!”
He sat up and took the tub that stood on the bedside table. “Let’s see
if I can get the pain gone a little more quickly. Last night made me horny as
hell.”
He smoothed the cool gel on her nipples and kept rubbing over and
around her areolae. He ran his hand down her belly and rested his palm on
her mound.
“Open, my pet.”
She spread her legs wide and he spread a generous amount on her clit,
her labia and then deep inside her. She sighed, as it seemed to draw some of
the pain out immediately. He had her stand under the shower for a long time
the previous night until the shivering and trembling subsided. Just holding
and soothing her. Then he washed her, lovingly and tenderly.
“Better?”
“Much. Do I smell coffee?”
“Do you feel well enough to get up?”
She nodded and he watched her push off the bed to stand next to him
with a small smile.
“Stop. You will not feel guilty. I will not allow it! Now, please hand
me your shirt, so I at least am covered while we have breakfast.”
“Yes, my love.”
He helped her pull on the shirt and walked with her to the bathroom.
When she came out, he was leaning against the doorjamb waiting for her.
She tsk’ed her tongue and shook her finger at him.
“Ruark stop!”
“Yes, my love.”
She frowned at him. “Are you humoring me by any chance?”
“I wouldn’t dare, my love.” He leaned down, lifted her in his arms
and carried her to the open-plan kitchen. As he put her down, she leaned
into him, her arms around his waist. He worked around her and finished
beating the batter he had prepared before he went looking for her.
“Knock, knock.” Quinlan called from the door and sauntered inside.
Taking in the cozy picture the two made in the kitchen, he sighed with
relief. He never thought he would ever see the look of dread on his friends
face when he realized he had to punish Courtney and severely at that.
“Morning, Bud. Are you joining us for some pancakes?”
“Hell yeah.” He sank down on a big overstuffed chair facing the
kitchen.
“Go and sit on Quin’s lap, Baby. I need some room to finish our
breakfast.”  Courtney hugged him one last time, walked over to Quinlan and
sank down on his lap. She leaned against his chest and curled her legs over
his. Quinlan held her loosely, stroking her back. Courtney’s eyes followed
every movement Ruark made. He poured three mugs of coffee and carried
theirs to them. He leaned down and kissed Courtney lingeringly, pressing
her head into Quinlan’s shoulder.
“Love you, Baby mine.”
She smiled at him and touched his lips. “Love you too, Honey.”
Quinlan’s heart hammered in his chest. Fuck! He wanted that too! He
wanted a woman to be like that with him.
Courtney sipped her coffee and looked up at Quinlan.
“I am sorry, Quin.”
He smiled and stroked her hair. “You already apologized last night.
It’s over.”
“Maybe, but I do know you, Sloan and Bracus were a lot angrier than
anyone else.”
“We care for him more than we would for our own blood.”
“I realize that. I also realize that the three of you weren’t happy there
was no demand for further punishment.”
Ruark’s head reared up, but Quinlan nodded. “It is not the first time
you deliberately disrespected him, Courtney. We need to know it was the
last time.”
Courtney looked up at Ruark. His eyes seared into hers. His voice
was hoarse, but gentle. “You can be assured it won’t happen again, Quin. I
trust her to keep her word to me.”
“That is good enough for us then.”
 After breakfast, Courtney got dressed, while Ruark walked Quinlan
out. She found him on the back patio, staring out at the sea. Walking up to
him, she wrapped her arms around him and with her cheek pressed against
his back. His hands covered hers and he stroked her palms.
“Apart from Lindsey, I have been alone for the past four years.
Totally alone. I never went out. I didn’t make friends. I had no lovers. I was
alive, but I was not living life.”
Ruark turned and drew her with him to the comfortable daybed. He
sank down, pulling her in front of him, and wrapped his arms around her.
He kissed her on top of her head. She snuggled deeper into him.
“I . . . had best friends too. Like you have Sloan, Bracus and Quin.
We also grew up together. We were all neighbors. I had Ivanka, Geoff . . .
and Z . . . Z-Zoey. She was so full of life. So, beautiful. She was pure . . .
she was one of those people that purified you by just looking at you. She
only ever saw the best in people. The best in me. That was a mistake. She
should have known, she should have known I was bad for her!”
Tears ran down her face and Ruark wondered if she even realized it.
He stroked her hip, drawing slow soothing circles over and over. She took a
deep breath.
“No matter what anyone said. In the end, it was my fault. I became
cocky. I was invincible, you know! I was a master in Yochita, I was
mastering the blue flame and I had yet to lose a fight. No one could touch
me. I busted one case after the other. Sloan and Hagan were tough on me.
They warned me to slow down. To sit back and think, not just rush in and
act. I was stupid. I had this elevated opinion of myself. I was the best agent
on the force and didn’t heed Sloan’s warning. He warned me the Syndicate
was bigger than I believed them to be. I didn’t listen. Oh god, I didn’t
listen! I should have. They knew they couldn’t get to me. So, they . . . they
went for her. They took . . . Zoey. By the time we found her, she was . . . oh
god . . . I still see her every night in my dreams. Hanging on chains, a
pulverized mass of flesh. They raped her, so badly that her vagina was torn
wide open . . . she . . . she was a virgin. She saved herself. W-a-anted to be
pure for the man she married. I can only imagine what went through her
mind . . . when . . . when . . .”
Her eyes were wild and haunted. Her nails dug into Ruark’s arm
painfully, leaving bloodied half-moons behind.
 “As if that was not enough . . . they skinned her. Oooohhhh god! They
skinned her!  She did not have . . . from head to toe . . . they skinned . . .”
Deep wracking sobs tore through her, shaking her whole body. She
wept. Wept completely heartbroken. Ruark just held her, offering her his
strength. His cheeks wet just thinking of what she must have gone through.
“They left her hanging on those chains to bleed out. She died an
agonizing, painful death because of me. But did I learn my lesson? Fuck no.
Again, I did not listen to Sloan. I refused to go to therapy, told them I was
fine and jumped right back. I just became more . . . focused. Or I believed I
did. Two years later, they went after Ivanka and Geoff. We were lucky. We
caught them in a chase. That day I knew . . . I knew I couldn’t put their lives
in danger too. I walked away. I never saw them again. They don’t know
where I live. There is an entry prohibited posted for them at the Agency.”
She took a deep breath and looked out to sea.
“This time Sloan forced me to go to therapy. He drove me there
himself and sat in on every session, snarling at me if I closed myself off. He
did not just save you. He saved me as well. He is one hell of a man.”
She was silent for a long time, and then said softly. “That is why I
said I don’t do relationships. I can’t live through losing anyone again. Not
again. And now . . . I have . . . you and I am . . . terrified. So terrified!”
 
 Chapter Twenty-Three

“Sears! I told you I wanted you to man the rear group. You are not going
near that door!”
Courtney spun around and glared at Sloan. “This is fucking
ridiculous! I have never manned the rear group. What in the bloody hell is
the matter with you?”
Sloan growled at her and spat the words out, “I am still your Boss,
Sears. It is my decision what happens here. Get back to the vehicles. Now!”
A series of automatic rifle shots hammered off behind them and
Hagan flattened her to the ground. She lost her breath and battled to regain
it. He pressed her down so hard, it felt as if her ribs were about to crack.
“Off! Can’t b-breathe!”
He grumbled and lifted himself slightly, but kept her pinned to the
ground until the shooting stopped. He rolled off her and sat on his haunches
next to Sloan, exploring their options. Courtney remained flat on her back
watching them for a moment. They had become worse than over-protective
mother hens. No matter how trivial the bust they had, they were always
hovering over her.
They were driving me fucking crazy!
She rolled onto her stomach and looked around, and then slowly got
up on her haunches. She noticed a narrow wooden gate, which bordered the
fence, in the neighboring yard. If she could get through that gate unnoticed,
she’d be able to reach the backdoor. She felt a presence next to her and
smiled when she noticed Smithy and White, the two agents from the street
shootout.
“What’re we doing, Boss?” Smithy whispered, keeping an eye on
Sloan and Hagan. She chuckled. Her team knew her too well. She gestured
to the gate and quickly whispered to them. Having backup was a much
better option than going at it alone.
When Sloan and Hagan looked around, Courtney was gone. “Fucking
woman! Who saw where Sears went?” He roared at the group of FBI
agents.
“They just went through that gate at the neighbors’. They’re going for
the back door.”
“Who are ‘they’?” Hagan barked irritably.
 “White and Smithy are with her, Boss.”
“Sloan, move over to that vehicle at the end. See if you can see them.
Let me know the minute they touch that fucking back door!”
Sloan ran, bending low between the vehicles, and scooted behind one
to screen the side area of the house. He cursed when Courtney jumped the
wall, only to be followed by her two trusted cohorts. He raised his hand and
Hagan shouted at his team.
“At my call, we fire and charge. Sears is at the back door. Get ready!”
Sloan watched as Smithy lifted his foot and kicked the door down.
His hand fell.
“CHARGE!”
A surge of shooting was heard from the inside of the house before he
even gave the order and Hagan felt his heart seize. It was time to have a
hard talk with Sears. She was losing it again. During the past three busts,
since she became engaged to Ruark, she had charged into danger without
the necessary precautions and healthy fear. It was the same pattern as with
Zoey and then two years later Ivanka and Geoff.
The bust was a success and Sloan’s dark scowl followed the van that
escorted the smugglers to FBI custody. He sighed wearily and ran his hand
through his short-cropped hair, then turned to singe Courtney with a hard
stare. She lifted her head resignedly and just watched him, waiting.
“I want to see you in our office in an hour, Sears. Don’t be late.”
“Yes, sir.”  His frown darkened, waiting for the actual military salute.
“Don’t push me, Courtney. You are on fucking thin ice.”
Courtney turned away and got in her car, grumbling. Fuck, one would
swear I did something wrong! I had backup!  She was still sulking when she
slumped down in the chair across the desk from Sloan. Hagan was sitting
upright in the chair next to her, glowering just as angrily as Sloan was.
“Oh, for fuck sake! What now? We busted the ring, didn’t we?”
“You disobeyed a direct order, Sears. And that’s not the first one.
During every single bust we have had over the past month, you have
disobeyed a direct order from one of us.”
“Because you are mothering me! I do not need to be protected, Sloan.
You know that! I am always careful.”
“Are you? What has been the protocol at these busts, Courtney? We
evaluate, discuss, plan and execute. Perfect execution, remember? Covering
all aspects of the area, taking all precautions necessary to ensure the safety
of every single agent on the scene. Did you do that before you charged
around that house, Sears? Did you take the safety and lives of Smithy and
White into consideration when you took them with you? Did you take your
safety into consideration when you made the decision?”
Courtney paled visibly and fear clutched at her heart. Oh, god!
“Over the years, we have tried with you, Sears. God knows we’ve
tried and you’ve been the best we’ve ever had . . . until there is someone in
your life you love.”
“No! No! Don’t say that!”
“Yes. It is time you realize what it is you are doing, Courtney. You are
losing it again. You charge ahead without the necessary thought process,
without taking the necessary precautions. Without the main component in
our jobs. Healthy fear.”
“I . . . I am . . .”
“You are putting yourself out there since Zoey died. Every time. You
did it with Ivanka and Geoff. Now you’re doing it with Ruark. You charge
in, hoping you will get killed before they do.”
Her eyes were haunted, suddenly terrified and she remembered what
she had told Ruark. And she knew. She knew Sloan was right. Sobs shook
her small frame and she clutched her belly bending over her knees.
“I . . . am terrified, Sloan. I can’t . . . lose him!”
Sloan got up and walked around the desk. He drew her up, sat on the
chair and pulled her down on his lap. His arms wrapped around her and he
held her, stroking her back. He saw a movement in the door and Ruark’s
angry eyes when he caught her in his arms.
“I . . . can’t do this anymore, Sloan. I don’t want to do this anymore. I
love him too much. I . . . this time, I won’t survive. If I had to lose him too .
. . it’s over and I am done. I don’t need this anymore. I . . . quit.”
Sloan hugged her and kissed her on her forehead. “That’s my girl!”
She looked at Hagan and then up at him. “You’re not angry?”
“I am disappointed, and maybe we can talk about something in
Operations for you. You will be a maniac in the Ops room on busts. That is
what I tried to tell you, Courtney. You lived your job for the past six years.
Now it is time to live life.”
She nodded and smiled, then wrapped her arms around his neck and
hugged him tight. He returned the favor.
 “While I understand the reason for the hug, it has gone on long
enough. Either you let her go, Sloan, or I will punch you in the face.”
“Ruark!” Courtney dropped her arms from around Sloan and got up
from his lap. She smiled at the frowning man in the doorway. Hagan
grumbled behind her.
“Just my luck.”
She turned and sat on his lap, hugging him just as tight.
“Courtney. That is enough. Get your ass over here.”
“Only my ass, Sire?”
Sloan and Hagan chuckled and a smile tugged at Ruark’s lips. “Are
you sassing me, sub?”
“Of course not, my Liege, but there are some other tingly parts of my
body that are very eager to get over there.”
Ruark laughed, his cock immediately at full attention against his suit
pants and then some more, when Courtney noticed his attire for the first
time. Her eyes narrowed and her eyes ran over his body.
“You look mighty sexy in that suit, Honey. Ahum . . . is there perhaps
a tingly part somewhere in there that I can . . . you know . . . introduce to
my tingly parts?”
“Out.”
“But it is our office―”
“Out!”
Sloan and Hagan laughed, got up and closed the door behind them,
leaning against the wall on either side. Best they stood guard, before the
Director went charging through the door.
Courtney giggled and then screamed when Ruark yanked her against
him. In a blink of an eye, she was naked and he surged inside her, still fully
dressed. His eyes glowed like white gold.
“Would that be one of your tingles, Baby?”
“Ooh, yesss,” she gasped when he ground his crotch against her,
driving deep inside her. He pushed her back until she was lying on her back
on Sloan’s desk, her legs wrapped around his waist where he stood in front
of her. His hands ran over her breasts and he stroked her nipples, and then
pinched them.
“Is that another one of your tingles, Baby?”
“Ooohyess . . . aahhh!” She cried out when he increased the pressure
until she writhed in front of him, grinding her hips against him. “Please,
honey, fuck me. Please.”
“With pleasure, my pet.”
He pulled back, plunging back in, hard and deep. Setting a furious
rhythm, his fingers remained on her nipples, pinching harder. Courtney felt
the pressure build inside her rapidly and when he angled his cock a little to
the left and rammed hard upwards, the pressure snapped and snapped and
snapped. She tried to breathe, to slow the clenching of her body . . . no, not
slow . . . fuck she was climaxing non-stop!
“No, baby mine, don’t hold back. Give it to me. I want it all. Come
for me and don’t stop until I tell you to.”
She cried and she pleaded, but he kept fucking her, relentlessly, still
tweaking her nipples hard. Ruark felt the pressure pinch as far back as his
spine. His balls tightened, his legs trembled and he looked at his beautiful
woman, thrashing below him.
“Eyes, Baby.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him, barely registering. Another
climax was rapidly building inside her. He smiled evilly and she shook her
head, knowing what he was going to do.
“You know what I want, my pet and when, don’t you?”
“Yes . . . yes, my Liege, I do.”
Ruark increased his pace. He pumped into her like a man possessed
and then released her nipples. Her scream reverberated down the hallway as
the blood surged back into her nipples, thrusting her into a tornado of a
bursting climax, which pulsed, throbbed and clenched around him.
Knowing he was close, he plunged deeper and froze, feeling the force of his
release where it started at the back of his balls, to rush through his cock, and
cannonballed him into an explosive release inside her hot body.
Outside the office, Sloan and Hagan cursed, shifting uncomfortably,
their cocks aroused and pressing hard against their pants.
“Fuck, Ruark is a lucky man.”
They straightened as the door opened and Courtney blushed red when
she realized they stood outside the door the whole time.
“We’re the least of your worries, love. This whole floor heard that last
scream of yours.”
“Oh Lord!”   She scrambled down the hallway and disappeared into
the ladies’ room. Sloan and Hagan laughed as they joined Ruark in their
office.
 “You’re a lucky bastard, you know that, Bud.”
Ruark smiled briefly. “Talk to me.”
Sloan told him what had happened at the bust, as well as the other
three. “I ripped into her just before you arrived, Ruark. She told you about
Zoey. I believe she was on the same path as she had been back then, after
her death. Rushing in, not taking precautions and totally fearless. That
spells death for any agent in the field. She did it with Geoff and Ivanka and
now she is doing it with you. Charging in, hoping to be killed . . . before
you are.”
“Fuck! I want her out, Sloan. Not in a month or a week, now today. It
is done!”
“I happen to agree. I am going to have a talk with the Director. She is
good for the Agency and we don’t want to lose her, but she would be a great
asset in Ops and Combat Training.”
Ruark looked up and saw Courtney watching him from the door. She
looked unsure and he realized she was worried about his reaction to her
actions.
“Come here.”
Courtney walked into his arms and he wrapped her in a cocoon of
protection. As always, she relaxed and stopped thinking. Stopped worrying.
He was there, he would take control and take care of her.
Director Whitney walked in at that point, his face drawn. After
shaking Ruark’s hand, he took a seat behind Sloan’s desk. He looked from
the one to the other.
“I’m afraid I have bad news. You know the court case was finalized
and those bastards were sentenced last week . . .” At the nods, he stroked
his chin and looked at Courtney, then back at Sloan.
“They were transported to the maximum-security facility in
Philadelphia this morning. The convoy was ambushed.”
“Fuck!” Sloan jumped up. “And?”
“The Congressman was shot and killed, Sanders and Dimitri escaped.
We have no idea where they are.”
Courtney went as white as a sheet and her legs buckled. Ruark’s arms
tightened to keep her upright.
“No . . . not again.”
“Stay calm, Courtney. You are out, remember? You are not going
anywhere without protection from this point.”
 “And what about Lindsey and Ruark? It’s not just me! You know
that!”
Sloan walked to her. She was becoming hysterical and fought against
Ruark’s arms. Sloan caught her face between his hands.
“Enough! We will be there the whole time. Do you hear me?
Everyone will be fine. I promise you that.”
She shook her head sadly. “No, Sloan. You can’t. No one can make a
promise like that.”  Her voice hitched and dry sobs shook her.
Ruark’s eyes met hers, glowing in his stern face. “Courtney that is
enough. We will find them.”
“NO! You can’t be involved.”
“But I am and I have the ability to end this.”
She shook her head.  “I beg you. Please stay out of this.”
“Enough.” She took a deep breath and calmed herself, looking into
his stern face, forcing her muscles to relax.
Sloan nodded at the Director, who walked out the door and looked at
Hagan. The Special Ops Master would protect his FBI sub, his woman, his
future wife - at all cost. He was their best option to find Dimitri and
Sanders. There were no better trackers than Ruark and Bracus. Ruark
caught his eye.
“Call him. We’ll meet at the club in an hour. I’m taking Courtney
home. Get a detail on Lindsey and Jason.”
 Chapter Twenty-Four

In the end, Lindsey and Jason moved in with Ruark and Courtney. It was
the safest option, with a full security team situated around the island and
another around the main house at all times. No one was allowed outside on
their own.
“Courtney, please, you have to stop pacing. I am sure they are fine.”
“How? How can you be sure? You do not know those people. They
are ruthless. If they capture them, they will kill them!”
Lindsey grabbed her arms and shook her.
“Snap out of it, sis! You cannot think like that. You have to be
positive. They have an entire team of specialists with them. Ruark is not
alone. Sloan, Hagan, Quinlan and Bracus are there as well. They will look
out for each other. Come on, let’s get lunch ready. I’m starving.”
Courtney walked to the kitchen with her sister. She could not help but
worry. She was so frustrated. Always being a frontrunner at busts, sitting at
home waiting for news was torture. She strolled to the patio and stared out
over the ocean. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and cursed. Still
no message. Just then, the phone rang.
Thank god. Dependable Smithy!
“Smithy.  Please tell me you have news!”
“Hi Boss. We found the place and have it surrounded, but I’m afraid
we have a problem.”
A cold hand clamped around her heart. “What happened?”
“Ruark, Sloan and Quinlan have been captured. We’re not sure where
Bracus is. Hagan is try . . .”
“No . . . nonononono!”
“Boss, I’m sorry, but I thought you might want to know. They’re
trying to use the men as leverage, to get us to retreat. They know they’re
surrounded and need to get out. We can’t just charge in, there are too many
of them.”
A calmness came over Courtney. She would not lose another love.
She could not. He promised they would be together forever and she would
make sure he was there to keep that promise.
“Where are you?”
“Boss, I don’t think―”
 “Smithy, please I beg you. Tell me!”
“At a secluded warehouse in Fourth District on the corner of Wood
and Steel Streets.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I don’t think―”
Courtney ended the call and ran into their bedroom. She shrugged
into her bulletproof vest and clipped the holster onto the side of her jeans.
Pulling her hair in a ponytail behind her head she walked to Ruark’s study.
He had an open running system that was linked to the club and she quickly
opened his satellite program. It was one of the best programs she had ever
come across. She found the warehouse and spent ten minutes evaluating
every possible entry point, danger zones and escape routes. Her mind spun
at a million miles a minute and by the time she got in the speedboat, she
knew what to do.
She ignored the FBI agents yelling at her when they realized she was
the one in the boat. She dialed Hagan’s number and he answered almost
immediately. She could hear he was quite stressed.
“Not now, Sears. I will―”
“Hagan, I am on my way and I need you to listen to me. You and―”
“NO!  You do not come here. Ruark will have a fucking fit and Sloan
will blame me. We will get them out.”
“Please, Boss, I had access to satellite angles into that place that you
do not. You have to listen to me. Please, please.”
Hagan sighed and barked gruffly, “Talk to me.”
Courtney anchored the speedboat at a dock closest to the warehouse
and ran down the jetty. The warehouse was two blocks away, but because
she needed to gain entrance from the building behind the warehouse, she
hailed a cab.
She reached the roof of the building and peeped carefully over the
edge to the warehouse. Damn! The distance was further than she realized.
The warehouse roof was lower than the building she was on and the
chances that she might miss the jump were high. She took a deep breath and
ran as far back as she could. Courtney took a ready stance on the tips of her
toes, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and cleared her mind. When she
opened her eyes, she was calm, relaxed and completely focused. She
waited.
 A series of gunshots exploded on the other side of the building.
Muscles tensing, she shot away and started running, hitting the roof’s edge
she pushed with a mighty heave and jumped. Her arms failed, her legs
continued to pump and she hit the edge of the roof with a whoosh.
Clutching at the edge, she immediately pulled herself over and fell to the
roof on her back. Breathing desperately, relieved she made the jump.
Then there was silence, the gunshots ended. Thanks Boss! Courtney
got to her feet and stealthily crossed the roof searching for the roof flap she
had noticed on the satellite. Once she found it, she managed to open it with
some difficulty and crawled through to grab the overhead steel beam. She
swung her legs up on either side of the beam and quickly pulled herself
hand over foot, hanging upside down, toward the front of the warehouse.
There were shelves all over and she was relatively hidden from anyone on
the ground. Voices and shouting became louder.
She moved a little slower, and changed direction when she reached a
cross beam. The voices were louder. She was now nearly on top of them
and recognized Dimitri and Sanders’ voices. Another guttural voice rose
above the rest as she lowered herself on top of a high shelf and climbed
down to the ground.
“We are wasting fucking time. Forget about the stupid cunt. We need
to get out of here. The longer we wait, the more difficult it’s going to be.”
“Shut up, little brother, if you didn’t fuck up in the first place, I
wouldn’t have been in that bloody club in the first place! We want that cunt.
She will fucking pay for what she cost us,” Dimitri shouted furiously.
“Why don’t we just shoot one of them and throw him outside? That
way they will know we are serious.”
“Fucking brilliant idea, Sanders. Which one should we start with? I
think if we sent them their own FBI buddy, they’d fucking wake up.”
Courtney managed to reach a container just off one side from where
she noticed Sloan, Quinlan and Ruark were tied against to steel beams. Her
eyes ran briefly over Ruark, happy that he appeared unhurt, apart from a
few bruises on his chest. Quinlan had a smear of blood on his shirt from a
small knife wound in his side and Sloan had a deep gash on the side of his
forehead. All in all, they didn’t seem to be worse for wear, if the heat and
anger in their eyes were anything to go by.
A man larger than Ruark approached Sloan with a gun in his hand. He
was clearly Dimitri’s brother.
 “I like that plan. I’ll do the fucking honors.”
Courtney prayed that Bracus had found the entrance and that he was
ready. Just then, her eye caught a slight movement to the left and behind
Sanders. It was Bracus. Dimitri’s brother lifted the gun, the hammer cocked.
Courtney stood up, aimed and fired before his finger could fully squeeze the
trigger. He toppled straight on his back, staring at the roof with pain filled
eyes. He had a bullet just under his breastbone and could not move.
Pandemonium broke out outside. Screams, gunshots and then Dimitri
noticed Courtney as she moved forward. She was still behind the three
shackled men.
“You fucking cunt!” Dimitri and Sanders reached for their guns.
Bracus’ massive arm locked around Sanders’ neck and he squeezed.
Sanders’ eyes rolled back and he passed out.
Courtney kept her eyes on Dimitri while Bracus, Smithy and White
attacked the perps that charged them. Her gun was held firmly between both
hands and trained on him as she walked closer.
“Come on, mother fucker. Reach for that gun.” Her voice was firm
and deadly.
She noticed Dimitri’s eyes slip down to his brother and could not
keep the slight smirk from his mouth. Courtney stepped on the hulks neck,
twisted her boot below his chin and warned him without looking down.
“You move buster and I break your neck.”
Dimitri was fuming. He growled and nearly screamed at her.
“I’ll get you cunt. Even if it takes me a fucking lifetime. I’ll get out
again, and I’ll hunt you down. I will skin you . . . remember your little red
headed friend . . . I watched you scream and cry when you found her, you
fucking whore! You will just suffer more . . .”
“You . . . it was you . . .”
Her voice was raspy, hoarse and sounded . . .  dead. Tears ran down
her face, but she did not even realize it. All she saw was the monster in
front of her. His pride in what he did to one of the purest people ever to
have graced God’s green earth. He did not deserve to live. Not while Zoey
had to die.
“Courtney, stay calm, Baby.”
“I am calm, my love.”
She heard a sound and noticed Bracus next to Ruark. Then Hagan and
his team arrived, but she kept her eyes trained on Dimitri. She deliberately
lowered her gun, goading him to draw his. It was time for him to die.
He took the bait and the next moment his gun aimed at her. Before
Courtney could react, a shot rang out from her right and Dimitri stood
staring at her in shock for a moment and then fell back, with a bullet hole
between his eyes. She looked to her right and saw Ruark hand the smoking
gun to Bracus. Then she was in his arms and she clung to him.
“You’re okay. Thank god.” Her voice was hoarse against his chest.
Another shot rang out and she jerked around. Hagan shot Dimitri’s
brother who had managed to grab his gun. She turned back into Ruark’s
arms and suddenly her legs gave out. He picked her up and glared at her.
“You do not listen. I am furious with you.” His voice was guttural and
rage glittered in his eyes. Courtney bit her lip, but kept her eyes on his. His
jaw was clenched and his expression remained stern. “We will talk about
this at home.”
“Sloan and Quinlan? Are they okay?”
“We’re fine. Thank you, Agent Sears, we appreciate what you did.
And Courtney, I am warning you now. If Ruark doesn’t punish you for this,
Quin and I will.”
“Count Hagan and me in.” Bracus glared at her too. “No Courtney,
don’t look at me with those wounded eyes. I watched you jump that fucking
roof. You made it within an inch! And hanging on those fucking steel
beams . . . fuck! I am glad she is yours, Bud. I would have booted her long
ago.”
Courtney stiffened and struggled in Ruark’s arms. “Put me down.”
His arms tightened and his eyes seared hers. “I will never boot her but she is
going to be punished. By all of us.”
She gasped and her eyes filled with tears. Ruark knew why. Every
time she messed up at the club she received corporal punishment, and now
still in the aftermath of rescuing them, she was told she’d be punished not
awarded and became emotional. She still did not understand. She was his to
protect, not the other way around.
“Not corporal again, sub. But long before we’re done, you might beg
for it rather.”
Courtney snuggled closer to Ruark and wrapped her arms around his
neck. His head lowered and he whispered against her lips.
“I need a kiss. Now, Baby.”
 The kiss they shared was what movies were made of. So, tender, so
sweet, so full of love, all four muscled men had to clear their throats they
were so affected.
“Fuck, I’ve got to find me a woman like this.” Bracus grunted.
“Fuck yeah.” Three voices agreed in unison.

“Not a word, Courtney. You will listen and only talk when I ask you to.”
Her mouth snapped closed mutinously and she pouted angrily.
“Seems those pouty lips need to be put to work. Come here, sub.”
  Courtney looked at him where he sat on the couch on the opposite
side of the room from her. She slid from the couch and crawled on all fours
across the floor toward him. His eyes glittered and his hands fisted. Hmm . .
. like that, do you, Honey? She pushed back on her knees in front of him.
He watched her.
“Closer sub. Between my legs.”
She walked closer on her knees. Her belly clenched in anticipation. It
had been two days since their capture. Two days, in which he ignored her,
working through his rage. He did not touch her, he did not allow her to
touch him. Even pushed her away from him in bed at night. She was
desperate for his touch. She missed his arms around her and she was so
horny she could scream.
His eyebrows rose as she sat waiting. His expression clearly saying,
‘do I need to say the words, sub?’ She reached over, unbuckled his belt and
slowly unzipped his jeans. He had gone commando that morning and his
fully aroused cock sprang free. She looked at it, her heart hammering in her
throat. Oh god, I need that inside my pussy! She looked back at him.
“I thought you wanted to talk.”
“Exactly. I talk and you listen. Therefore, we’ll keep that mouth busy
so you can’t sass me while I talk. Are you waiting for an invitation,
Courtney?”
She folded her hands around the base of his cock and closed her lips
around the broad tip. “No hands, my pet. You should know better by now.”
Growling she clasped her hands behind her back. She licked his tip, then the
corded veins that stood out on the sides, before she closed her lips around
the tip again.
 “I want one moan as a yes, I agree or understand, two moans if you
don’t. Do you understand, sub?”
“Hmm.”
“From a few discussions we’ve had in the past and in front of a club
full of members, you agreed numerous times that you are my sub, which
means that you give me the control to make decisions regarding what is best
for you, for me and for us. Am I right, sub?”
“Hmmm.”
“So, I find it extremely difficult to understand why you don’t trust
me. No, keep going . . . take me deeper and suck harder.”
Courtney was frustrated. She did trust him, but he did not ask a
question. How was she supposed to tell him?
“So now I am in a quandary. I do not know how I should feel about
that. The only meaning I could place on this situation is that I am not the
Dom for you.”
Courtney’s hands moved to his thighs and she desperately pushed
back to talk to him. He fisted his hand in her hair and forced her mouth all
the way down on him again.
“Hands, sub and if you try and pull off my cock again, I will put a
spreader in your mouth and tie you in place. Understand?”
“Hmmm.”
“Good. Where was I? Oh yes. A D/s relationship’s backbone is trust.
You proved with your actions that you don’t trust me. So now, I have to
wonder how to deal with this. Clearly, we can’t continue in such a
relationship, but I am going to marry you. Hence, I have come to a decision.
I will find you the kind of Dom that you need. One you can trust fully and I
will find a sub that trusts me. Does that sound like a solution to you,
Courtney?”
She shook her head, tears on her lashes. “Hmhmm. Hmhmm.
Hmhmm.”
“Three times no? Deeper, sub. All the way down your throat.” He
tightened his hold in her hair, holding her head in place and started to thrust,
closing his eyes as she sucked hard with every pull from her mouth. Fuck,
this woman could do this the whole day!
“No, you don’t want another Dom?”
“Hmhmm. Hmhmm.”
“Are you prepared to give me your trust, sub?”
 “Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm.”
“I see. Are you prepared to give yourself to me, sub? All of you and
not hold anything back?”
“Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm.”
“Come on my pet. Fuck me harder. Deeper.”
Courtney worked harder, sucked and licked passionately. She
flattened her tongue completely and relaxed her jaw and pushed down,
taking him deeper and deeper until her nose touched his stomach. He
growled and pulled back and plunged back in.
“Can I trust you to mean what . . . fuck . . . you say this time,
Courtney?”   Ruark grit his teeth. His balls had tightened, his climax
hovered on the edge. He thrust harder.
“Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm.”
“Very well, sub. But I warn you. Be sure you mean it. Now. Finish me
and swallow every drop.”
He thrust once more into her sucking mouth and growled harshly as
his balls lifted. His climax rushed through him and his release jetted down
her throat. Courtney kept sucking until his cock stopped twitching before
she pulled her mouth off him. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
“May I speak, Sire?” He nodded.
“I do trust you, completely. But I love you and I nearly lost it when I
heard you were captured. I couldn’t . . . couldn’t take the chance that I
might find you dead. I had to go and find you.  Please don’t be angry and
please don’t give me to another. I want only you. Always only you.”
His mouth twitched and his eyes glittered warmly. He took her face
between his hands. “Do you know how I felt when you appeared in that
warehouse? Knowing I was helpless in ropes and I could not protect you.
We were not captured, Courtney. It was part of our plan. We would have
been out of there within ten minutes. Why do you think Bracus was already
on point by the time you got there?”
“I . . . I . . .”
“I love you, woman, and I will always protect you. But I can’t do any
of that unless you believe in me and trust me fully.”
She threw herself into his arms and held him tight. “I love you so
much, Ruark Greer.”
“I know, my love. Up you go, we have to go.”
She got up and frowned at him. “Where are we going?”
 “It is time for your punishment.” Courtney paled.
“But the club is not open tonight.”
“Yeah, we don’t want to frighten all the members with your screams.”
Courtney bit her lip and Ruark scowled at her.
“That is it. On Friday, you will suck all the Senior Master’s cocks and
swallow all their loads. I’ve had it with you biting that lip!”
“No! Please, I promise I will try harder. I don’t want to suck anyone
else off.  Only you. Please.”
Ruark frowned at her. He lifted her chin and looked at her. “This
provides us with a problem, my pet. You cannot expect special treatment.
What else do you not want to have others do?”
“I . . . I don’t want someone else to eat me either. I only want to feel
your mouth on me. Please understand. I-It does not feel right. I am going to
be your wife . . . and I want intimacy like that only with you, my husband. I
don’t want to share it with others.”
His face remained impassive. “Do you have the same expectation
from me? Am I not allowed to have those intimacies with other subs?”
Her lip pulled back and immediately released. Her eyes met his and
she pushed her chest out. “No. You are mine and I . . . am not prepared to
share you. If you need anything, you come to me. I will never deny you
anything.”
“Very well, Baby mine. All you had to do was ask.”
“Y-you’re accepting this?”
“Of course. I am quite possessive as far as you are concerned. The
Senior Masters might not be so happy about it, but somehow, I think they
already know. I am the only one that will touch that pussy of yours, my
love.
“You . . . and Quinlan.”
Ruark looked deep into her eyes. He knew she said she would, but he
knew deep down she didn’t want to. He knew the only reason she agreed
was because she believed he needed it. Yet now . . . he was not so sure
anymore. The moment she stood in front of that man with the gun aimed at
her, he knew she was his. Only his. Fuck. Double fuck.
“No Courtney. Only Ruark.”
They both turned to find Quinlan standing in the door behind them.
He smiled widely and waved Ruark’s unvoiced concerns away.
 “I realized, in that warehouse, how deeply you two love each other. I
want that too. I want my own woman who looks at me the way she looks at
you. One that only craves and reacts to my touch. It would not feel right to
share her, Ruark. And I know you. You feel you owe me. You don’t. I love
you. When you love someone, you are there for one another. We have been
that to each other all our lives. You don’t want to share her with me, Bro, I
know that and I love you for offering. I want us to be a family, share time
and raise our kids together. That is what I want to share with the two of
you.”
“Fuck, Bro, you know I want that too.”
They clasped each other around the back and held tight. Courtney
wrapped her arms around them as far as she could reach and cried with
them.
 
 Chapter Twenty-Five

Courtney mingled with the members on Ruark’s arm. She was dressed in
silver lycra shorts, a black and silver shelf bra with silver stilettos. She
looked hot with her hair in a ‘just woken up’ look. A diamond ring glittered
on her finger.
Her ‘punishment’ after the capture was none other than an
engagement party. After every Senior Master had pinched her nipples for
endangering her life. Of course, the terrible five had the authority to pinch
her nipples throughout the night, for the heart attacks she nearly caused
them in the process.
Being Senior Masters, they took their duty seriously and her nipples
were throbbing before they all had a turn. An hour later, she was in agony.
Ruark being the biggest culprit. He ignored all her pleas to put an end to her
punishment, informing her arrogantly he was preparing her to be properly
ass fucked later. Of course, he knew that would have her pussy flooded and
he immediately grabbed her nipples and pinched harder than before. She
keened and looked into his eyes. When he said, ‘come for me, Baby’ she
crumbled to the floor from the intensity of the climax that immediately
ripped through her. She screamed when he let her nipples go and she came
again.
 She smiled at the memory of the night they had when they got back
home. They did not make it to the bedroom. He took her against the front
door the moment they entered the house. He made up for the two days he
had stayed away from her. He used her so well, she could hardly walk for
two days. Something that made him walk around with a wide, satisfied
smile.
As usual, they had theme Saturdays every other week and this week,
the theme was disco. Many people enjoyed the music, gyrating and dancing
on the elevated platforms and dance floor to sexy disco music. Courtney
wondered if there were even any people in the dungeon.
They were chatting at the bar with Sloan and Hagan when Courtney
heard a voice from the past.
“Little C? Is that you? Fuck, it is you! Come here, you hot little
hussy!”
 She shrieked, turned and hurled herself down the stairs into the arms
of the tall lion-like man who easily caught her and twirled her around,
clutching her so tightly she could not breathe. She laughed and cried at the
same time, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
“Get your fucking hands off her.”
Ruark’s furious voice penetrated her happy mind and she wiggled
against the man until he released her, but kept his arm around her waist. His
golden eyes clashed with dark silver ones. Courtney’s smile was so wide
and so happy, she did not even notice the animosity between the two men.
She reached for Ruark’s hand and drew him closer. “Ruark, it’s him.
It’s Geoff. Oh, it’s Geoff. I can’t believe it! It’s Geoff, my love. He’s here in
our club, Geoff is here.”
Ruark relaxed the moment she mentioned his name and he smiled
tenderly at her exuberance. He pulled the hand that he was clasping, around
her back and hugged her briefly.
“I think we got it, Baby mine. It is Geoff, your best friend. Introduce
us before the night is over.”
“Tsk . . . you are such a Dom. Honey, this is Geoff Santini. Geoff, this
is Ruark Greer, my fiancé.”
The two men shook hands and smiled warmly at each other. Their
mutual love for the excited little bundle between them drew them together
immediately.
“Ivanka? How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
“Probably two months ago. She’s stuck somewhere in Antarctica,
until the end of February, as part of some research project. She’s become
quite an annoying brat.”
Courtney looked at Geoff, her eyes widened. Fuck me! She stabbed a
finger in his chest.
“You’re a Dom!”
His eyebrow curved in a typical Dom action. “You say that as if it is a
bad thing.”
“For how long? You were not one last time . . . no . . .  you were. I
just never knew. Fuck me!”
“That’s twenty-four.”
Courtney turned to Ruark and frowned at him. “You know, Honey, I
should be awarded. I have not cursed for a very long time. Besides, you
aren’t going to punish me.”
 “I’m not?”
“Oho, Sears, you better back paddle fast. He’s got that look.” Sloan
offered some advice.
“What look?”
“The sadist look.”
Courtney speared a careful glance at him and stepped back into Geoff.
He chuckled and pushed her back forward.
“Oh no, squirt. You asked for it. Maybe I should insist on a
punishment myself for trying to manipulate me to avoid your Dom.”
“You can’t. You’re not a Master here.”
“Oh, sorry Sears. Wrong again. We’ve all just signed him on as a
Senior Master.” Quinlan volunteered the information.
Her mouth gaped open and she squealed when she caught Ruark’s
eyes. They glowed.
“Now honey . . . my Liege . . . Sire . . . my gorgeous King . . .” She
retreated a step with each word until she felt far enough away, turned and
ran. She barely took two steps when she was caught around her waist. She
shrieked and laughed at the same time. She reached back and locked her
arms around his neck, twisted and pulled his head down. Her lips locked
around his lips and she kissed him with wild sensual abandon.  He growled
when he lifted his head, a slight smile on his lips.
“Are you perchance attempting to top from the bottom, sub?”
“Me? I would never do something like that, my sexy King.”
“Seeing as you insist on your punishment, my pet, I believe it is time
we attend to it. Quin, get all of our Senior Masters to join us at the new
fucking machine delivered this morning. Courtney has generously offered
to test it out for us. Twenty-four times.”
“No! Oh lord! You will kill me!”
He ignored her and took her arm and dragged her unceremoniously
down the stairs toward the corner where there was a . . . a bicycle. It had a
wide seat that was split in the center with a huge cock head protruding
through the opening. She followed it to below the seat and started to
tremble. The damn thing was huge!   The rest looked like a normal bike,
with pedals and handles. She looked pleadingly at Ruark.
“Please, Sire! I beg you. Not t-t-twenty-four times! I wouldn’t . . . I
am going to be so stretched . . . I’ll never feel you inside me again.”
 Ruark roared with laughter and she swatted him on his chest. It only
made him laugh harder. She stamped her foot and scowled at him.
“It is not funny, Ruark! Look at the size of that thing!”
“Hmm, Baby. Seems I have been remiss in fucking you if you believe
it is bigger than mine.”
His eyebrows rose and he challenged her with mirth in his eyes. She
looked back at the dildo and blushed. He was right. His cock was wider in
girth and slightly longer.
“Strip.” She pleaded with her eyes, but the Dom was back. She sighed
and quickly undressed, her eyes glued to the huge dildo.
“Masters, I have changed my mind. Seeing as it is a new machine, I
don’t want to overdo it all at one time. Also, I plan on topping my sub a few
times myself later, so I don’t want her to be too pleasured and worn out.
Courtney will cycle until she has climaxed four times.”
“Cycle? I have to cycle? While that thing . . .”
Everyone laughed. Ruark smiled at her and stroked her cheek.
“The dildo is connected to the pedals, my pet. You are going to be
fucking yourself. Quin, does each Master have a crop? Good. See, my pet, I
want to make sure you put proper effort into this. Every time you cycle
slower or stop, the Masters will start paddling your ass with the crops until I
am satisfied you’re cycling fast enough.”
“T-this is . . . cruel.”
“Shall I increase it to eight, my pet?”
“No, please don’t, my Liege.”
“Geoff, will you help me get her on the bike, please.” Geoff joined
him at the bike and adjusted the pedals until the dildo’s tip just protruded
above the seat. Ruark picked her up and put her on the saddle. She felt the
dildo teasing the entrance of her.
“Feet on the pedals, my pet. Lift them more, Geoff, a little more.
Good. Strap her feet in. I’ll do her wrists.”
He pulled her arms forward and clipped the wrist cuffs into the D-
rings on the bike handles.
“All good, my pet? None of the restraints too tight?” She shook her
head. She growled at him.
“You are enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Oh, not yet, my pet. But I am sure in a few minutes I am going to . . .
very much so.” He ran his hands over her breasts and pinched her nipples
lightly, then stroked her belly and stroked a slow circle around her clit.
Pushing a finger lazily inside her cunt, he stroked her soft walls until she
melted into his touch.
“Always so wet for me, Baby. I love that about you.” He stepped
back, reached into his pants pocket and pulled out clover nipple clamps.
“Oh no!”
He smiled evilly. He handed them to Geoff.
“Would you mind?
“It will be my pleasure. Do I have your permission to suck her tits?”
“Be my guest.”
Courtney glared at Geoff, but he just laughed at her as he tweaked her
nipples, and then pinched them. He leaned down and pulled a nipple deep
into his mouth, sucking deep. He pulled his mouth away and closed his
fingers around the nipple.
“Deep breath, little C. Your fiancé chose some with quite a bite.” She
took a deep breath, but could not hold back a scream when the grips closed
around her nipple. “Breathe through it, little C. There’s a good girl.” He
repeated the same with the other nipple and she panted and forced herself to
relax until the pain reduced to a constant pinch.
She cried out in surprise when Ruark’s lips closed around her clit and
he sucked hard and pulled the little nub as deep as he could. He released it
slowly as he pulled back. He looked at her, pinching her clit.
“Remember I said I had to attend to something I had neglected, to
date?”
Courtney frowned and then shook her head vehemently. “Damn you
Ruark, not that too.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her, reached into his pocket and produced
a smaller clover clamp. Fuck! A clover clamp on her clit.
He chuckled as she wailed and keened even before he reached for her.
He gently pulled her clit, placed the grips around it, and let go. She wailed
and screamed.
“Courtney. Breathe. Now.”  She breathed, desperately.
“Ohgodohgod, Sire! Please take it off.”
“Settle down, my pet. It stays.”
He clipped a chain to the end of the clit clamp, then clipped two ends
to the nipple clamps and brought the three together in a round ring in front
of her belly button. She sighed gratefully when she noticed the long chain.
Oh fuck! She became happy too early. He clipped two more ends of a longer
chain into the ring where the others came together and looped it around the
handles, forcing her to lean forward to prevent the clamps from pulling.
“Now does that not look pretty, SM’s?” Everyone applauded and
Courtney groaned. Ruark lifted her face to his and kissed her deeply.
“Ready, my pet?”
She shook her head. “No! I don’t want to do this!”
“Yes, and cursing is a bad habit. Geoff, some lube on that dildo please
and in her pussy. I will count to three and you’ll start peddling immediately,
my pet. If you don’t we start paddling your ass. See that meter on the handle
bar, my pet? I want it at a constant count of 30. I will give you two minutes
to get to 30, if not, we start paddling. Every time that meter drops below 30,
we paddle. Easy, right?”
He hunched down and reached below the seat to gently push the dildo
up into her cunt. She moaned as the smooth hard tip settled nearly half way
inside her. She heard a click. “This is the furthest it will drop, so you will
have it inside you the whole time.”
He stepped back and looked at her.
“What is your safeword, sub?”
“Red, Sire.”
“Use it if you need to. Here we go. One, two . . .  three.”
Courtney started cycling and moaned as she felt the dildo rise up and
down inside her. The clamp around her clit was painful and she knew she
would not be able to come as long as it was there. Fuck me! Did Ruark
realize that too? She kept her eyes on the meter and noticed there was a
timer as well. She cycled faster and moaned as the dildo pumped faster and
deeper, the higher the speed. When she reached 30, she was panting, the
dildo reaching into her deep and fast. She keened, the pulsing pain in her
clit becoming harder to bear.
After ten minutes of cycling, she was no closer to a climax than when
she started. She felt Ruark’s hand running over her hip. He kissed her on her
neck.
“Still okay, my pet.”
“Fuck you!”
Ruark nodded at Geoff and he flipped a switch on the handlebars.
They started jerking back and forth, yanking the chain, which caused the
clamps to tighten. Courtney moaned and cycled slower.
 Whack, whack.   She growled and arched back as a climax ripped
through her, so strong it felt like a wax strip was ripped off inside her. She
stopped cycling and clung weekly to the handles.
“Perfect, my pet. Take a deep breath, I am going to count again. One,
two, three.”
She cycled, her breath coming in pants. She reached 30 mark within
the two minutes and moaned and mewled the whole time, the dildo sliding
in and out easily now that she was coated with her own juices. Geoff had
flipped the switch and the handlebars were not moving. The same process
was followed twice more. The last time she got five whacks in between
when she lost speed.
She was breathing haggardly, her body covered in sweat. She leaned
into Ruark as he stood rubbing her legs and arms after her third climax.
Each one felt as if it would tear her in half. Her chest hurt from her
hammering heart. Ruark kissed her softly.
“Still with me, my pet? What is your safeword, my pet?”
“R-red, Sire.”
“Do you want to use it, Baby?”
She seriously considered it, but then she would not try to persevere
and have her limits pushed. Something she had come to realize made her
stronger. Made her think before she acted. She shook her head.
“Good girl. You’re doing well, Baby mine. I am proud of you. Here
we go. One, two, three.”
She cycled and it took her longer than two minutes to reach 30 on the
monitor. Her legs burned from exertion, yet no whacks landed on her ass.
Ruark stayed next to her and Geoff stepped to her other side. She closed her
eyes and breathed heavily. Geoff and Ruark reached for the clamps at the
same time and released them simultaneously.
An animalistic scream echoed throughout the floor as the blood flow
reached all three areas at once. She arched desperately into the dildo as a
climax of such intensity that it would reach a 10 on the Richter scale, tore
her apart. Courtney couldn’t breathe and then everything went black.
Ruark’s arms went around her, holding her upright. Geoff and Quinlan
immediately released all the restraints.  Ruark lifted her off the bike into his
arms. Bracus placed a blanket around her as everyone applauded.
“Hell of a sub Ruark’s got. Lucky bastard!”
 He smiled and looked at the woman in his arms.  He carried her up
the stairs and sank down on a couch at the back of the entertainment room.
Sloan, Hagan, Bracus, Quinlan and Geoff joined them. A Club sub, Lesley,
handed Ruark two bottles of energy water and placed a large platter with
finger food on the table in front of them.
Ruark stroked Courtney’s legs, arms and back, leaning down to kiss
her on her eyelids, until she eventually stirred. Their eyes met and she said
softly.
“You are a sadist, Ruark Greer, but I love you. The first day I looked
into your eyes, I had only one thought that kept running through my mind.
Home . . . I am home.”
“And you are, love of my life. We are home together.”
She snuggled a little deeper against his chest.
“Do you think there is space for one more in our home?”
He frowned and chuckled. “Our house is massive, my love. Of
course, there is space.”
She smiled at him. “He . . . or she won’t need too much space at first .
. . but . . .”
“Courtney? Are you . . . are we . . .?”
She smiled tenderly and stroked his jaw. She nodded. Ruark beamed.
“Fuck me! I am going to be a Dad!”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Excerpt - His Ice Baby Sub

 Chapter One –

“Fuck me. It’s cold!”  

He rubbed his hands together and quickly pulled the thermal gloves
back on, as soon as he shook the pilot’s hand. Whatever possessed him to
come evaluate the security protocol himself, he would never know. Who in
the fuck bothered with security systems in Antarctica? Just ice the fuckers
and all would be safe.
“Even my cock is shriveled like a damn prune. Fucking better still
work once I get back to New York,” he muttered irritably. Picking up his
duffel bag, his long legs easily shortened the distance to the compound, a
few yards away. The thermometer on the side of the building indicated the
temperature was -43 degrees.
“Fuck me twice.”
“Just say when, sugar.”
He stiffened at the husky, sensual voice behind him. Turning his head,
he realized that he was suddenly surrounded by at least ten bulkily dressed
males and females, all huddled around the door, waiting for the locking
system to disengage.
He looked them all over, got a few ‘Howzits’, but none of the females
that looked at him seemed embarrassed by the offer made to fuck him. A
few very interested gazes fluttered over his massive body, but he ignored
them. It would have to be a fucking hot woman to get a rise out of his cock
in this bloody cold.
The door opened with a silent whoosh and everyone filtered through
the door. Bracus LeLuc followed the group of people inside. A small figure
came charging past and mumbled a quick ‘hi’, just before the door closed.
Not very friendly this bunch. Fuck, in this freezing cold, who would
be.
Once inside, the central heating made it appear almost normal.
Almost. As soon as he managed to defrost, that is.
 Spotting a site map at the entrance, he leaned against the wall to
peruse it. Once he found what he was looking for, he set off down a long
corridor toward the front of the building. Well, what do you know? They
even had a receptionist. One who nearly swallowed her tongue when the
tall, robust man stepped to her desk.
“M-morning, sir. How may I assist you?”
She smiled and batted her eyelids. They did not get to see seriously
gorgeous specimens like this man at the Amundsen–Scott Station in the
South Pole. Oh, there were a myriad of attractive men, but this guy was just
. . . wow.
“I’m here to meet with Darren Wheeler. He’s expecting me. Name’s
Bracus LeLuc.”
She showed him to his destination after confirming his appointment
with the Compound Director.
“I must thank you for taking the time to come see me so quickly, Mr.
LeLuc,” Darren said, waving him to a chair.
“Bracus, please. I must say it is a hell of a lot colder than I expected.”
“The winter season is on the horizon, yes, and then there is only
skeleton staff left behind.”
“This is summer? How cold does the winter get?”
“We’re expecting lows averaging between -65 to –75 degrees this
year.”
Holy shit!
“I’ll stick to New York, thank you.”
The conversation turned to the required security protocols and
controls that needed to be evaluated and upgraded. After an hour, Bracus
had a good idea of what was required. Darren escorted him to the Security
division where he was tagged and granted full access to the Compound.
“Have you had breakfast yet?”
Bracus shook his head. His mind was already swirling with the time
constraints he had for this project. As busy as he was, currently, with a
project for the FBI, he could not afford to spend more than five days here.
Ralph Dutton, his second in charge, might have to take over if he was
unable to finish.
Ten minutes later, he sat at one of the dining tables in a large eating
hall, after he had dumped his duffel bag in the very spacious room allocated
to him. There were still a few people having breakfast, even though it was
after ten in the morning. From the conversation around him, he ascertained
that they were shift workers.
A scrumptious full breakfast was placed in front of him and his mouth
watering as he picked up his fork.
A woman in a white thermal jacket came storming into the dining
hall. Irritation obvious on her beautiful face. She flung the hood of her
jacket off her head and his eyebrows quirked. How quaint. She either wore
a wig or had her hair colored snow white. The determination on her face
indicated that although short, she was clearly a spitfire. Finding who she
was looking for, she stomped forward and growled angrily, looking at the
man to his left.
“Barry, lift your fucking lazy ass off that chair and get to work. It is
bloody after ten and your shift started two hours ago!”
“But, Boss! I haven’t finished my breakfast yet.”
“Move your fucking ass, now!”
Damn, I would love to teach her to mind her tongue.
Barry shoved his chair back and literally ran past the angry woman
toward the exit. Her eyes searched the room, touched over him and jumped
right back.
Yeah, Ice Baby . . . you can fuck me twice anytime.
A growing red flush rushed over her cheeks and Bracus grinned,
realizing she was probably reading his thoughts in his eyes, as he watched
her intently. She might be angry, but even that could not disguise that
unmistakable husky, sensual undertone in her voice. Oh yes. She knew he
knew. It had been her at the compound door.
If dynamite came in small packages, she was it, despite her body
being hidden under the bulky jacket and pants. Her hair was tied in a
ponytail behind her head, with bangs that reached her eyebrows, drawing
attention to her perfectly formed oval face, high cheekbones, small straight
nose and a rounded chin that encapsulated the most kissable, pouty and
cupid’s bow lips. He could already imagine those full, pink lips sucking his
cock into her mouth. The bangs covered her eyebrows, but he imagined
them to be perfectly curved over her large almond shaped eyes. Fuck!
Where have you ever seen such deep blue eyes? Even over the distance that
separated them, they glittered like the clear sky outside. Her skin was
tanned a light golden color, which in contrast to her white hair, was
stunning.
 He would love to see what was hidden beneath the thick clothes that
covered her from head to toe. Straightening his back, he allowed his eyes to
slide down her body and smiled inwardly when she squirmed under his
regard.
“Hey Boss! You coming?”
She spun away and he chuckled. Five days . . . so much could happen
in five days.

Ivanka Sutton sat hidden behind a large container just beside the staff
entrance to the compound. She had left her access card in the dining hall
after breakfast and now she had to wait for some of the shift changers to
arrive so she could get into the building.
She was freezing and rubbed her hands before she stuffed them under
her armpits. Even wearing the thickest thermal clothing did not keep the
freezing temperatures out. The chopper that landed drew her attention and
she watched a massive, tall and clearly muscled man get out and shake the
pilot’s hand. He turned and huddled into himself before he headed in her
direction, aiming for the compound door.
Her breath caught in her throat. Fuck me! The man was seriously
gorgeous and so damn fuckinglicious, she salivated. He was very tall,
probably six feet five or six and massive. The bulky jacket could not hide
his muscles. The cold stole her breath as it wheezed from her lungs when
she looked at his face. All angles, sculpted angles, with a wide forehead,
made her think of a Greek god. A very scrumptious one to the boot. Her
eyes became riveted on his wide mouth with a perfectly shaped upper lip
and a slightly fuller bottom lip.
Shit. Such a seriously kissable mouth.
Not even a sculptor could do more justice to that chiseled jaw and
square face. With his dark brown hair cropped close to his skull and his
shaded beard, he looked dangerous. Dangerous, but totally fuckable.  
Man, this guy was seriously tempting for a woman who had been on
this damn ice continent for the past three months. More so . . . been
abstaining for three years.
He approached the door and muttered, “Fuck me twice.”
Before she could stop herself, her thoughts escaped through her lips.
“Just say when, sugar.”
 She was hidden behind the container and was relieved when a group
of shift workers huddled around the door with him. Eyes wide, she clamped
her hand over her mouth to keep herself from giggling.
Ivanka, you idiot!
She very nearly missed her chance to get inside and ran past him
before she was locked out once again.
Of course, less than an hour later she had to run her mouth off in the
eating hall, trying to get the idiot Barry to work. Lo and behold, there was
the Hulk again, his green eyes watching her intently. When her eyes met his
. . . oh fuck . . . he knew! He knew it was her.
She ran. Not because he knew, but because a jet of heated arousal
flooded from of her pussy to completely soak her panties. No kidding, not a
slow easy drizzle, a full on whoosh and her panties clung wetly to her pussy.
It felt as if she had an orgasm from his eyes boring into hers.
Those eyes incinerated her.
They made promises.
They issued a warning.
They looked into her soul.
That man was dangerous. The further she stayed away from him, the
better.

Bracus stomped the snow from his running shoes. His feet were frozen,
even though he wore three pairs of thermal socks. Running shoes and
subzero temperatures clearly did not work well together. It was his third day
and he was happy with the progress he had made. If he continued at the
same pace, he’d be finished by Friday.
He started to sweat the moment he entered the heated compound and
shrugged the thick thermal jacket off.
“O-oh my!”
He chuckled as he rounded a corner and a group of women nearly
plowed into him. They ogled his chest and arms and his eyebrows rose in
amusement. They appeared very young and could not hide their amazed
appreciation of his physique.
“Ladies.”
Offering them a military salute, he sauntered further down the
hallway to his room, ignoring the giggles following him. He shook his head,
having no interest in topping a young girl. They would run screaming for
the hills if they saw him naked.
Turning down another corridor, his arms were suddenly filled with
soft skin. A husky female grunt filled his ears as her breath wheezed out of
her from the force of which she ran into him. He did not even budge. His
nose was engulfed with a sweet, fresh jasmine fragrance. When he noticed
the snow-white hair, his arms locked around her wriggling body and lifted
her off her feet.
“Let me go, you fucking idiot . . .”
Her voice thinned, slowed down and locked in her throat. The small
hands she slammed against his chest to push him away, relaxed and rested
on top of his pecs. Her breathing increased and her eyes had widened the
moment she recognized him. Those hard, green eyes that watched her. His
tempting mouth was relaxed and close . . . so damn close.
“Now, my pet, all you had to do was tell me you’re ready, you didn’t
have to jump me.”
His voice was low and raspy and a thrill shivered down her spine.
“You . . . I . . .”
“Hmmm, yeah, the two of us. Do you want to do both now or spread
it out?”
“What are you talking ab . . . stop! Put me down.”
Bracus pushed her against the wall and easily spread her legs to settle
his body between them, grinding his hard cock against her groin. He
watched her eyes flare and her breath hitch. Grinning, he lowered his head
and nuzzled her neck. A sweet, yet husky, low moan shot directly to his
cock, hardening it further as he closed his lips over the pulsing vein in her
neck and sucked. Soft at first, then hard and forceful, leaving his mark on
her.
“So, Ice Baby. Which do you prefer?”
His eyes caught hers as she battled to breathe. The spot where he had
kissed her throbbed and led the tempo that drummed in her clit, causing her
core to clench in anticipation. As easy as that and she was soaked again.
“W-what do you mean?”
“Do we fuck twice now, or once now and once tomorrow?”
“You . . . let me go. Put me down.”
The command held no heat and his smile turned devilish, her arousal
tickling his nostrils made him press harder into her and she started to
struggle, fighting herself harder than she fought him. He just stood
watching her, waiting. He did nothing to restrain her, other than pressing his
strong body harder into hers. She gasped.
Oh fuck! His cock was huge!
The telltale arousal was so hard, it dug into her stomach painfully,
triggering a response as her own core swirled and released another flush of
heat to escape her grasping pussy.
“Yeah, Baby. I’m ready, just as ready as you are.”
“I’m not! I don’t . . .”
His eyes narrowed. “One thing I demand, my pet, is honesty. Shall we
test yours?”
His hand ran over her hip and slipped beneath the loose waistband of
her sweat pants. She shrieked and grabbed at his hands. He took both of her
hands in one of his and pressed them against the wall above her head.
“Keep still.”
His voice lowered, became guttural and she froze, lowering her eyes.
Ah . . . he was right.
She was a natural sub. He could not help but stroke the soft skin of
her lower belly, then slipped his hand beneath her panties. She whimpered,
but did not struggle.
“Stop!”
Bracus’s mouth quirked at the soft whimper. He kept watching her,
smiling when her eyes flared and her breathing stopped for a moment when
his rough fingertip caressed her clit. She moaned and arched her neck when
he slowly slipped a finger inside her pussy.
Fuck . . . she was so hot and so wet. Forget wet . . . she was soaked.
He pushed his finger deeper and she keened. Immediately inserting
another finger, he started to pump slowly. She mewled and fisted her hands.
He pulled his hand out of her and raised his fingers to her face. Keeping her
eyes captive, he stroked them slowly over her lips, spreading her own juices
all over them. Her lips opened and she panted.
“Still denying it, Ice Baby?” He whispered against her lips, breathing
in the honeyed spicy smell of her juices.
“Please stop.”
His tongue touched her lips, slowly licking first the top one, then
dragging his tongue over the bottom one, groaning at the taste of her. His
mouth closed over hers and he went deep immediately. Boldly, he stroked
his tongue as deep as he could, forcing her mouth wide, then wider as he
devoured her, tasting her saltiness on her lips. Helpless against the furious
demand of her body, she undulated her hips against him. Bracus grit his
teeth, his cock so hard it was painful as he ground and rubbed his cock up
and down the apex of her legs. He released her mouth and gazed into her
hooded eyes, the blue orbs brighter than the sky.
“Come.”
He slammed against her, she stiffened, arched her back and cried out
shrilly.
Oh fuck!
Ivanka climaxed so hard, she could not breathe. Desperately riding
the wave of pleasure, she opened her eyes and was caught by his scorching
look as he watched her. His eyes intent, a tiny sliver of pleasure in their
depths. Her back arched and Bracus drove his cock harder up and down her
clit feeding her climax higher and higher.
Ivanka was drowning in a wave of volcanic heat. Every brush of his
hard cock against her pussy and clit, triggered another flush of heat, a
frightening hard climax and she panted.
“Stop, stop. Please.”
Suddenly she realized they were in a corridor leading to the
bedrooms. It was early morning and it was a wonder no one had come past.
Or had they? Oh shit! She would not even know. Her mind, her whole
existence was focused solely on him.
He noticed the panic in her eyes and smiled evilly.
“A little late to worry about that now, my pet. That loud shriek drew
quite a lot of attention. We’ve given a few people a good show already.”
“Noooo. Oh Lord, let me down, damn you! Now.”
He chuckled and stroked the dark mark he had left behind on her
neck.
“Now, I will, as soon as you tell me which room is yours.”
“Why you . . . dammit! Let. Me. Go. You will never see the inside of
any room of mine.”
She struggled against the hold he had over her hands, still pressed
above her head. Her legs were useless, flailing in the air on either side of his
hard body and she screeched angrily.
“Had you known me better, Baby, you would know not to issue such a
challenge.”
 He lowered his head, his eyes bore into hers, and his voice was
gravelly husky, “Hear me well, my pet. I will not only see the inside of your
room, I will touch every inch of this delectable body. I will more than touch
you. I will fuck you on your own bed. I will ride you so hard and so deep,
your bed will rip holes in the wall. And once I’m done, I will flip you on
your stomach and fuck your ass twice as hard and deep. I’ll continue until
you pass out from pleasure and when you come to it will be to my cock still
slamming into you.”
Bracus stepped back from her body and her legs fell to the ground,
leaving her barely able to stand. His words added to the weakness of her
limbs. He ran his hand slowly over her arm, her shoulder and then the slope
of her breast to weigh the globe in the palm of his hand. All the while
watching her intently. Then he released her and moved a step away. She
nearly crumbled, then righted herself and glared at him.
“Pigs will fly before that happens. Stay the fuck away from me.”
She spun and disappeared around the corner, and then she ran. As fast
as her legs could carry her. With trembling hands, she fumbled with the key
and slammed into her room, locking the door behind her. She sank down
behind the door and took deep breaths, trying to calm her still pulsing body.
Her mind was in absolute shambles. She had never had such a hard climax
as she just did.
Shit, shit, shit!
The visions of his promise filled her mind and she moaned when she
felt her pussy flush with eagerness from the fulfillment of his promise.
Thank the lord she was leaving in the morning. That body of his. She
salivated just thinking of him. His muscled chest was massive with sculpted
shoulders and strong arms that could easily crush her, he was that strong.
But, damn! Her whole body quivered at the just thought of him slamming
his hard, massive cock inside her pussy, fucking her as he promised.

“So, Barry. Where is that loud boss of yours, since you are still lazing
around in the eating hall at this time of morning?” Bracus asked while
forking a sausage in his mouth.
Barry chuckled and glanced at the huge man at the table next to his.
“Nah, she’s gone back home. We were only here for three months as
part of a project. I’m off this afternoon on the second chopper.”
 “What kind of project?”
“We’re part of the Ice Cube project. We’re looking into detecting
neutrinos of high energy and finding the sources that produce them.”
“You’re scientists?”
“Climatologists. Ivanka is one of the best when it comes to research
and tornadoes. Hard taskmaster that she is, she always puts in twice as
much as she demands from all of us.”
“Ivanka?”
“Ivanka Sutton. We’re with the NY Weather Institute. She’s been
managing the project team for the past four years.”
Ivanka Sutton. Why did that name sound so familiar? Little devil
knew she was leaving, which was why she was so sassy and dared to
challenge him. He chuckled, knowing he’d find her. He was the best there
was at tracking people, by any means possible. His cock twitched.
Oh, fuck yeah.
He would find her.
 
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 
Linzi Basset is an Amazon Bestselling Author of suspense and paranormal romance whose passion
for writing began at an early age. She currently resides in South Africa.
 
Linzi Basset reached Amazon Bestselling Author status with her very first series, Club Alpha Cove, a
BDSM Club suspense series. All 11 books in the series achieved top 20 status on the Amazon
Bestsellers ranking lists, with books 8 – 11 in the top 5 ranks.
 
Book 11, For Amy, Their Cherished Sub achieved number 1 Amazon Bestseller ranking.
 
His Forever Sub and His Cherished Sub were both nominated for the Golden Flogger awards (2016).
His Cherished Sub was a finalist for the same award.
 
Find her also on amazon.com/author/isabeljames in a collaboration of emotional and spiritual tales of
discovery written in rich prose.
 
Click on her website at: www.linzibassetauthor.com where you will find upcoming information about
new releases, and excerpts from her books. Subscribe to her newsletter and join her on Twitter
@LinziBasset or say hello on Facebook.