Chapter Six
As they walked back out into the club, her legs felt wobbly and thousands of butterflies were swooping and fluttering in her belly. All eyes were on them – some curious, some lascivious and some hostile – and if it hadn’t been for the warm pressure of Finn’s strong fingers wrapped around her wrist, she thought she might have fallen. Or fled. This was complete madness. She didn’t even know this man, and she was going to let him punish her – let him publicly claim her as his.
But looking at the scowling faces of the enormous bear shifters standing with their massive arms folded across their barrel chests, muscles bulging, she knew she didn’t have any choice. Finn was definitely the lesser of two evils.
Besides, the fine hairs at the nape of her neck were standing on end and little chills were running over her skin, and while she was frightened, she knew it was partly curious anticipation that was making her heart drum in her ribcage.
Finn led her towards a small stage against one wall of the club, and as they mounted the steps, behind the throbbing of the music, Flora was aware of a susurrus, a low murmuring of speculation, and a prickling expectation in the air as the kinksters in the club paused in their activities and turned their attention to the stage.
Despite being fully clothed, Flora felt more exposed than she ever had in her life before. She swallowed hard. She had a strong suspicion she was going to feel even more vulnerable, and soon.
Finn was a reassuring presence beside her. Something about his size and his solidity made her feel safe. She might be lost, bewildered, pushed into a strange world that had her equal parts terrified and exhilarated, but she knew on an instinctive level that this big Alpha male would not allow her to come to harm. He laced his fingers with hers and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in a soothing gesture, his skin shifter-hot. She squeezed back.
Then he strode to the back of the stage and from behind the heavy red floor-length curtain he produced a simple straight-backed wooden chair, which he placed center stage. The lights dimmed briefly, then shifted so the stage was washed in a silvery light that she realized suddenly would make her pale skin glow like moonlight. She crossed her free arm self-consciously over her ample curves and tried to calm the frantic thrumming of her pulse.
Without dropping her hand, Finn took a seat on the chair, then drew her over so she was standing in front of him, her back to the audience. She looked into his face. His pupils were huge, his eyes glowing amber in the stage lights, and a soft, cynical smile gave a gentle curve to his lips. She tried to fix that expression in her mind, ignoring the expectant hush at her back as the club kinksters waited to watch the show. She had the impression that seeing Finn on the stage was a novelty, despite his apparent comfort with this world of whips and chains and collars.
When his fingers went to the hem of her skirt, she found she was trembling, and as he slipped his fingers underneath to softly stroke the skin of her thigh, his eyes intent on hers, she realized she was holding her breath without even being aware of it.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, tugged her forward, and tumbled her effortlessly over his lap, her plump ass in the air. She couldn’t help the squeak of outrage that escaped her. There was a low murmur of approval from the watching crowd.
And then, almost before she’d had time to catch her breath, he whipped up her skirt and yanked down her panties, exposing her bare butt to the air – and to dozens of pairs of hungry, lecherous eyes. The friction of the sensible cotton against the tender flesh of her thighs set her skin tingling and she felt her core clench in erotic expectation.
She could feel the hard ridge of his erection against her belly as she lay over his lap, excruciatingly aware of the audience and wondering what it would feel like when his big, calloused hand came down on the sensitive softness of her ass. Her heart raced and her breathing was harsh and a little panicky in her ears. The sound of the music and the murmurs of the crowd seemed to fade out and recede into the distance.
When he touched the smooth curve of her buttock, it was so gently that it came as a shock in contrast to the blow she had been expecting. She shivered and took a deep, shuddering breath as his warm palm traveled over the plump curve of her butt. Her core clenched and she felt a trickle of moisture dampening her panties.
She squirmed wantonly on his lap, feeling a spark of smugness when he hissed at the friction against his rigid cock, and wished he’d trail his fingers lower to the needy throbbing of her pussy. He must be able to smell her arousal, a faint, distinctive musk on the air.
The blow to her backside was sudden, commanding and firm. She yelped as a stinging sensation spread out from the point of impact, making her skin sing. Shivers of sensation traveled over her entire body and she found herself biting her lip to keep back a moan of arousal.
Finn rubbed the sore spot with his hand, warm and soothing, then pulled back for another sharp smack. This time she did moan – a low, throaty sound that had her blushing furiously at the lustful sound of her voice. Soft laughter rippled through the crowd, but it sounded approving rather than mocking. She wondered if the cheeks of her ass were as rosy as her face.
He slapped her again, his palm cupped, the sting sending waves of arousal shuddering through her body. Heat pooled in her belly and she realized with shock that she was on the brink of orgasm, her channel clenching greedily with each touch of his fingers as he played them over the sore spot in featherlight patterns. Slick, sticky juices trickled down her inner thighs, and she wondered if their audience could see them glistening in the stage lights as she wriggled in Finn’s lap.
Finn spanked her again, and again. Sensation coiled within her, winding tighter with each breath she took then unspooling in a silvery wash that she felt in every cell of her body.
Her breathing was hectic and out of control and she was oblivious to the crowd – oblivious to everything but the anticipation as Finn raised his hand for the final strike.
As his palm hit her ass with a sharp, echoing crack, blissful shocks of sensation thrummed through her, her orgasm as explosive and unexpected as anything she’d ever felt. And as Finn bent to run the flat of his tongue over the sore skin of her buttock, the aftershocks rolled on and on.
