My feet ached to the bone. They did not feel as if they had any skin left on them. I was a hundred percent sure that they were nothing but two huge callouses stuffed into shoes. I sat on the uncomfortable little office chair that they provided for their people to rest. But the damn thing made my backside go numb after 20 minutes. I had honestly thought this would be a fantastic substitute for my dream job. But, after two weeks of working to help these people get back on their feet, I was not feeling accomplished. I was feeling severely depressed and sluggish. I did not want to do anything except get back to Lori's place and continue the house shopping. At first, it was really hard to find someone to work with me after everything that had happened. Most did not want to work with the niece of a convicted felon, even a dead one. I had to explain to more than one person that my money had been frozen for the most part, so any money I would be able to give them would be from the brand-new
The music in the club was thumping with loud hypnotic music that was eerily similar to the music I had heard playing over the speakers at The Dungeon. They both had the same smooth erotic tempo that had women and men rubbing against each other, hoping to turn this vertical dance into a more horizontal one. As soon as I stepped into the building the music surrounded me on its rush out the door. Instead of feeling free and excited like I normally did when I walked into a club, I felt suffocated and a bit panicky. Lori looked back at me and immediately caught on to my discomfort and pulled me off to the side where there were a few feet of free space. She pressed her face next to mine so I could hear her over the music."Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. I swallowed back my worries and tried to sound sure of myself. "Yes.""Sure?" she prompted. "Absolutely," I swore."Okay, let's find a free table close to the floor." She pulled me along with her through the crowd at a speed that
His fingers tightened slightly, not painfully. But I knew if I continued to pull away from that hold, it would get painful, and it would have been all my fault for fighting a Master. I sighed internally and forced myself to not let his beautiful deep eyes drag me into them again. "You don't look fine, Bethany," he commented, his piercing eyes not missing a thing. "I am. My friend Lori and I are out celebrating tonight. I'm just a bit tired," I explained, then winced when I realized the error of my words.I had meant not to show any signs of weakness to him. I knew his instinctive need to take care of me would pop up, and he would not leave me alone after that."It's more than that," he stated as his eyes searched my face inch by inch.I tried hard to bury my feelings of claustrophobia and extreme exhaustion that had been swamping me since I walked through the door. Yet, the minute Kevin's grip on my arm grew tighter and he pinned me against the counter, I knew I had failed. He shove
"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir," I whimpered."It's not just me you have to apologize to, Bell. Mistress was having fun suckling on your sweet little nipples and you made her stop because you disobeyed. She's very upset. Aren't you, Alyssa?" He looked passed me at Alyssa and gave her a slight nod. A hand came down on my ass instantly, and I let out a startled cry as the pain flared over the sensitive skin."I think you have your answer, don't you, sub?" Kevin asked."Yes, Sir. Mistress, I am so sorry," I huffed out in a hurry. Mistress sighed. "I know you are, but you will still be punished. So maybe next time you will think twice about disobeying. Master, I think fifteen swats will suffice. What do you think?""For a start. But, if she disobeys again, I will double that. Now get between her legs," he demanded, taking on the role of ultimate Dom again.Mistress settled in immediately. Master stood up and walked back around behind me. He caressed the cheek on my backside that I knew still
The smokeless night greeted me like an old friend, but I did not stop as I raced headlong down the streets. I knew I must have looked like a crazed hooker with the way Lori had dressed me, but I couldn't care less. Before long, the pressing need to run drained out of me, and my scrambling turned to fast walking. However, it was not until I was blocks away from the nightclub before my footsteps stalled out with a single thought.Lori… I had left without telling her anything or even waiting for her. We had taken a cab to the club together and so not only was I alone, but I was also on foot. I sighed with resignation and grabbed for my purse to text her in hopes that she would check it before looking for me."Damn it!" I cried when I realized I had left that behind as well. "Fuck!" I stomped my foot down like a petulant child several times until the heel of my stiletto broke off. That's when the tears came, blinding my vision and ruining the make-up that Lori had spent so long perfecting
As I stepped outside, the cold air rushed up to my pitiful excuse of a skirt sending a shiver up my spine. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," I chanted, trying to find a spot where the wind could not get to me. The best spot by far was next to an alleyway. "I'm pretty sure this is what Trev meant when he said, 'not safe'," I chided myself. Despite knowing what a stupid idea I had, I stayed in the corner. I prayed Trev would be there shortly so I could just go home. The sound of scuffling behind me drew my attention away from the busy street. Peering through the shadow-drenched alleyway, I could feel a set of malevolent eyes burning into me. Yet, I couldn't see where they were coming from. I slid a bit closer to the wall, trying to blend in with it and as well as keep the seemingly moving shadows in sight. The sounds of the street should have easily drowned out the noise from the alley, but my whole being seemed to be on high alert to my surroundings anyway.Blocking out the noise of the ro
I lifted a shaking hand and pointed towards the alley. Trev shoved us towards the door his eyes never leaving the darkened street. "Go inside and do not leave the area until I come back," he demanded. "But-," Vie began to argue. "NO!" he practically shouted. "GO!"Vie grabbed my hand and dragged me inside while glaring at Trev the whole way in. "What the hell are you doing now?" Martin yelled as soon as we stepped in. "You ain't using my phone again, woman."I jumped and turned to him, unable to say anything in my defense. For the first time ever, Vie was the one jumping to my defense. "We sure as hell are gonna use your phone! We need to call the cops. My friend just about got kidnapped on your front steps because you refused to let her stay inside based solely on how she looks! My family knows every lawyer and judge in this town, and if your attitude doesn't change, I'm going to sue your ass for discrimination and own this dump!" Her posture was so straight and so intimidating
Only then did I realize that the strong, unbreakable bonds that held me were not as constricting as they started off being. They were now cradling me like a precious object, but I did not mistake that as a sign of weakness because I knew if I made any sudden movements, they would tighten on me again without hesitation. I knew the strength in these arms, and in my still dazed brain only one name spilled out. "Master," I whispered. My body relaxed, and the anger drained from me like water out of a sieve."Good girl," whispered Master Kevin in my ear, pride oozing from his voice.I leaned back against him with a sigh and let them take over. I did not need to be strong right now, they were here, and they would take care of me. Warning bells went off in my head, reminding me that I didn't want them to take care of me, I needed to stand on my own two feet and stay away from them. Especially now that the danger was not gone. I stiffened and started to pull away. But Kevin's arms tightene