He had to stop thinking like that. Had to give her—both of them—time to see where things could go. This woman brought out ideas—feelings—in him he’d never felt before. But he’d have to put that all aside and focus purely on her tonight.
There were only two other couples in the Dungeon so far, and they were already in their scene space. One couple—a man and a woman—he recognized from having met them the day before; they worked at the Ranch. The other couple, two women who were laser focused on each other, he thought were guests. But it was time to concentrate on his girl.
Mine.
I wish.
He shook the thought away as he led Claudia to the play area he’d chosen for them: a spanking bench set up next to a long, padded table in a shadowed corner of the room. He thought it might be better for her to be tucked away, rather than on full display, since really focusing on each other was so important.
He set his toy bag down and gestured to a chair.
“Sit down while I set up. And as gorgeous as those heels are on you, I want you to take them off.”
She nodded and removed her pretty shoes without saying a word. She’d barely said anything since he’d met her at her apartment a little while ago, but she’d smiled when he’d kissed her before taking the elevator down to the parking garage and getting into the golf cart to take them through the tunnels—he didn’t want her to walk that far in her high heels. She’d been silent on the short ride, either from nerves or because she wasgetting her head into play mode. It was okay if she was nervous. He expected it for their first Dungeon night. If he couldn’t kiss or beat the nerves out of her, he’d take her back to his apartment and find a way later. But he was hoping for her sake that everything went well tonight.
He laid his toys out on a narrow table against one wall, and he caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye. When he set out his long leather flogger with the angled tips, she took in a deep breath. And when he pulled out his five-barrel neuro wheel and a black rabbit fur glove, she bit her plush lower lip. She’d love the surfacy sensation play, he could tell simply by watching her reaction.
He pulled out more items: a small selection of narrow bamboo canes, a leather paddle, a wooden paddle, a pair of soft leather cuffs with matching ankle cuffs. And lastly, a narrow gold satin ribbon. He turned and approached her, the ribbon in his hand.
“Stand up for me. Yeah, good girl.”
She was watching him, her eyes enormous, and he was sinking into Top space just sensing her response to him laying out his implements.
“I’m going to put a play collar on you. Accepting it means you want to scene with me tonight, that you accept my dominance, that you’ll do your best to submit to me, to let me take over. To let me take care of everything. Take a minute to consider what will happen here tonight, what your role will be when you’re with me. If you decide you’ve changed your mind, step back into your shoes, and I’ll take you to your apartment. There will be no judgment, I promise. But if you agree to the terms of the evening, get down on your knees and clasp your hands behind your back.”
She bit down on her lip once more, but he felt it was more about her processing what he’d said, rather than questioning it. And moments later, she sank gracefully to her knees.
“Ah, excellent. Now bow your head for me, beautiful.”
She did as he asked, and he bent to tie the ribbon around her neck, leaving the bow in the front. He felt her trembling the tiniest bit. Nerves? Excitement? Maybe both.
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was they were there together, and the moment he’d put the ribbon in place, it was all about a synchronized flow, encouraged by the ambient music playing and the dim red and purple lights of the Dungeon.
He took her hand in his, lifted it and kissed her palm, felt her answering shiver.
“Let’s go over your safe words one more time. We’re using the traffic light colors. Tell me.”
Her hand went to her neck, and she brushed the gold ribbon with her fingertips briefly before letting her hand fall back to her side.
“Green is for go, meaning everything is good. Yellow is a pause to check in to see if we need to change toys, or if I need a break, or something to drink, or if a rope is too tight. Red means we stop the scene altogether.”
“Yes, that’s it exactly. And just to add a note, if you call red, we end the scene. Then, when you’re ready, we review what went wrong so I can do better next time. Or, if you decide it’s best for you, we decide not to play again. Understood?”
“Yes. Thank you, Sir.”
“Stand now, Claudia.”
He helped her to her feet, and she watched him as he moved around behind her back to sweep a hand over her shoulders the red strapless dress left exposed. She had the loveliest shoulders. It was one part of a woman he loved. He kissed one shoulder and heard her soft sigh. He did it again, and again, one gentle pressof his lips after another until he felt her go loose all over. And when he sensed she was really relaxed, he clamped a hand on the back of her neck hard enough to get the message through that he was in command.
She took in a gasping breath.
“Yeah, that’s it,” he murmured, his mouth right behind her ear. “Tonight will be all about contrasts. Because even when I’m gentle with you, I’m still the one in control here. You need to let it all go. Youcanlet it go, Claudia. I’ll take care of everything. Understood? Tell me.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said quietly.
“We begin now.”
He slid his hand over her waist as he moved around to face her, and without another word he unzipped her dress and slipped it off. Once more she gasped, her eyes going wide, and he loved that tiny bit of shock. He loved seeing her standing there in her strapless red lace bra and matching thong even more. He was going hard seeing her like this: mostly undressed, vulnerable. Trusting him. And that gold ribbon around her neck symbolizing her intent.Theirintent.
