“Those aren’t even punishable things,” she protested weakly.
“I decide what’s punishable, little sub.Not you.”
“But...punishing me doesn’t mean you can’t scene with the others.Surely it won’t take more than thirty minutes?”Even as she said it, Xia felt tremors starting in her legs.The rumors about Master R’s punishments when truly angry were legendary.And now she’d painted a target on herself with fluorescent paint.
His smile was pure demonic.“You clearly have no concept of how creative I can be with punishment.No, my dear wife whisperer, your public actions against me call for proper retaliation...which will likely last until our descent.”
A violent shiver racked Xia’s body as the full implications of ‘until our descent’ sank in.Her knees threatened to buckle, and she found herself grateful for Rex’s iron grip on her arm.It was probably the only thing keeping her vertical.
The blood drained from her face only to rush back with a vengeance, setting her cheeks on fire.Her heart became a chaotic drumroll, and her breath turned into short, uneven gasps.This wasn’t the good kind of anticipation that usually accompanied thoughts of playing with Rex.This was pure, unadulterated fear mixed with an unwelcome dose of arousal that confused her even more.
She tried to step back instinctively, but his grip held her firmly in place.Her stomach performed a series of complicated gymnastics as she watched his expression darken further.The confident, snarky woman who’d been throwing verbal grenades at potential subs minutes ago seemed to have taken an emergency exit, leaving behind a trembling mess who couldn’t even form a coherent sentence.
“I...you...we...”She swallowed hard, her throat clicking audibly in the tense silence between them.Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, a nervous tell she thought she’d conquered years ago.The room suddenly felt too hot, too small, and far too focused on their corner, even though logically she knew most people weren’t even looking their way.
She shivered as a drop of sweat trickled down her spine.She’d seen that look in his eyes before, during opening night, directed at a manipulative sub.Now she understood why the sub had looked both terrified and thrilled.She was about to receive a firsthand lesson in why Rex Oliver’s punishment sessions were legendary.Her body couldn’t decide whether to run away screaming or beg for more.
“Well, fuck a row of ducks, why doncha!?”The words escaped before she could stop them.
“I’ll add that to the list of punishments,” he said smoothly.“As well as additional time for cursing during punishment negotiations.You’re not helping your case, Angel.”
Xia’s stomach dropped to somewhere around her ankles.She’d just wanted to sabotage his scene, not sign up for a marathon session of creative punishment with the Dom whose reputation made experienced submissives weak in the knees.Talk about your plans backfiring, except this wasn’t just a backfire—this was a nuclear meltdown.
Chapter Twenty
Xia
The CDS Sky Dungeon, GoldenEye Airbus IV...
Rex leaned in close, his breath ghosting across her temple as he inhaled deeply.“You’re trembling, Angel.”His voice transformed into a dark and primal drawl that turned her bones into liquid.
No shit, Sherlock, her mind wailed in silent protest.
“Good.You should be scared.You’ve been dealing with the amicable Master R.Now you get to meet the Demon Master, and for the next eight hours...”He paused, letting the words sink in.“You’re at the mercy of that demon’s choices.”
“I...but...you can’t...”The words stumbled over each other as her protest died in her throat when he cut her off with a single, commanding word.
