“You come when, if I say. Understand?”
“I… yes, Sir,” she breathed, praying he wouldn’t torment her too long.
Thrusting two fingers inside her, he ground out, “You’re mine to do with as I please, and right now it pleases me to play with you.” He withdrew, then returned with three fingers, the deep plunge driving her hips up a fraction. “Tell me why you’re so fucking tight. Haven’t you masturbated since being alone?”
Shaking her head, Krista found it hard to concentrate as he took his time pulling back, rasping over her clit before tickling the sensitive skin around her entrance. “No, of course not,” she struggled to get out.
His brows lowered and she could tell her answer confused him. “Why the hell not?” That angry question came with another surge inside her quivering sheath that drew a gasp and stole her concentration until he uttered her name in warning. “Krista.”
“Because… I didn’t have permission, Sir.” She tried turning her head away from the sheer ridiculousness of the tormented state Kurt’s passing had left her in, but Master Dax still held her head immobile with a fist around her hair.
“Don’t you dare try to look away from me. If you were that badly off, you should’ve called Sean. I’m of a mind to let my friend punish you for your self-inflicted, needless suffering.”
Another withdrawal followed by another clit teasing thrust robbed her of breath, but she managed to maintain enough of her sanity to question his anger, given his long absence. “You left, Master Dax, which means you lost the right to scold or criticize.” A cry spilled from her mouth as he pummeled her vagina with a barrage of steady thrusts.
“You’re right, but I’m here now.” Dax, reeling from her revelation, found it difficult to concentrate, but finally got his head back in the game. The water splashed his arms, cooling some of the anger aimed at himself, but not enough. He’d have to find a way to deal with this new round of guilt later, though.
Bending his head, he licked over her nipples, back and forth as he finger-fucked her harder, faster. Small contractions of her slick, inner muscles pulsed around his digits, the sensation so fucking hot he could have climaxed without touching himself. Calling on his control, he fought back the urge to free his raging cock and sink into the tight depths clutching his fingers.
“Not yet,” he told her without lifting his head from her nipples when the grips became stronger. “I’ll tell you when.”
With a frustrated whimper, she thrust her hips up against his marauding hand and he vowed to restrain them next time. After taking one last swipe over her berry red nipples, followed by a small tug on each loop, he lifted his face and released her hair. Her slick body glistened, but he couldn’t tell if the moisture was from the fountain spray, or perspiration from the way her arms and legs strained against the bonds in a struggle to hold back. He loved the intent concentration reflected on her face as she strove to obey his command.
“You’re stretching nicely, but your pussy isn’t the only orifice that needs attention.” Delving in the tight space between her buttocks, he worked two fingers past her tight sphincter as he slowed his pussy thrusts to rasp over her clit. Krista’s whole body shook with her efforts, her face glowing and her eyes dilated with need. Another fucking look he adored. He wondered if she knew what he was waiting for, then had his answer in her agonized whisper.
“Master, please.”
“Now, Krista.” She was spasming apart before he finished her name, the tight convulsions of her vaginal walls damn near cutting off his circulation. He didn’t let that slow him down as he pounded his fingers in and out in a forceful, driving rhythm that kept elevating her butt up and down along with his thrusts. Water swirled and lapped around her hips as the spray rained down on her quaking body. Whimpers escalated into cries, then dwindled to mewling as he brought her down slowly.
There was nothing Dax found headier than watching Krista Matthews orgasm. By the time he released her arms and legs and lifted her from the fountain, he didn’t know who was more drained, he or she.
Chapter 9
It worried Krista how right it felt sitting naked on Master Dax’s lap, her hands cuffed behind her, her thighs kept spread wide over his as she leaned back against his thick chest. Her initial anger over his chastisement for neglecting her needs had disappeared the minute he’d brought her to such a powerful climax. She could still feel the tingles of rippling pleasure throughout her body. Of course, some of those lingering sensations could be from the way he continued to roam her flesh with one large hand while feeding her from their shared plate.
“Zach mentioned you met at the hospital,” Sandie said from the other side of the table where she perched naked on Zach’s lap, her face reflecting the same struggle to focus on conversation as Krista labored with.
The covered outdoor kitchen kept the late afternoon sun from their exposed skin, but a mild breeze still came through and circulated the tantalizing aroma of grilled hamburgers. Swallowing the bite Dax fed her, Krista kept her eyes on Sandie’s face, away from Zach’s wandering hand. At least Krista wasn’t the only one being kept on the edge of arousal while trying to converse.
“Yes. I had just started there and my husband, who was also a surgeon, introduced us.” She turned her face up to Dax, wondering how much she should reveal. He’d mentioned being close to Zach, but did that special friendship include bragging about the night Kurt shared her? His face gave nothing away, but when he squeezed her waist in reassurance, she realized she should’ve known he wasn’t the type to kiss and tell.
“Krista is an excellent scrub I was pleased to welcome into the OR. One of the things I missed most about traveling with Doctors Without Borders was the limited number of people available to assist.”
“Well, it’s damn good to have you back. We’re planning another afternoon cruise next weekend. You in?” Zach asked as he popped a pickle in Sandie’s mouth.
“I’m not on call, so I should be able to make it.” Dax gazed at Krista, strumming her nipple as he asked, “Are you free next weekend?”
Her heart tripped with excitement over the prospect of submitting to him again so soon. She couldn’t read anything in his look or invitation other than he wasn’t through with her. It didn’t matter, and she’d wait to question the relief she felt over that later, when he wasn’t touching her. “I don’t have any plans, thank you for inviting me.” Given his prior reluctance to spend time with her, it surprised her he’d consider Zach’s suggestion. But after the way she responded to his dominance, and considering how much she wanted to continue submitting to him, she’d grab whatever time he was now willing to set aside for her.
“Want the last bite?” Dax asked, waving the burger in front of her face.
“No, thank you.”
He shoved it in his mouth before she finished turning him down, then those penetrating green eyes grew dark as he pressed up against her butt, as if she hadn’t already felt his erection distracting her throughout their meal. The familiar need to please, to give the same pleasure she’d been gifted, took hold and suffused her with warmth.
“Time to put your mouth to another use then.”
Master Dax’s command sent a molten flow of adrenaline rushing through Krista’s veins. Familiar, endorphin-releasing anticipation heated her from the inside out when he took the small cushion Zach handed across the table and set it between his feet. Her pulse skyrocketed when she looked up at his blazing, enigmatic gaze as he guided her off his lap. She saw Sandie sliding down in front of Zach before settling on her own knees and facing Master Dax’s cock again for the first time since that night so long ago. Or was it just yesterday, she questioned as she leaned forward and inhaled his spicy scent.
Closing her eyes, she shut out the sounds of Sandie administering to Zach and concentrated on pleasing a Master again. She spread her knees as she sucked him deep, adding a touch more stability to the position made awkward with her hands bound behind her. God, it had been so long since s
he’d savored a mouthful of thick, silk-covered, steely flesh and heard a low groan of pleasure right above her bobbing head. His thighs tightened against her sides as she traced over the bulging veins with her tongue. A growled curse reverberated above her with the nip she enjoyed taking at one bulging vein, his pulse increasing from the small bite.
“How the hell could I have forgotten how good you are at this?” he asked, cupping her head in his large hands.
Krista hoped he didn’t expect an answer as she was way too busy laving the sensitive area under the crown and enjoying his jerk against the roof of her mouth to take the time to comment. She didn’t even care if the other couple wondered at his remark. He allotted enough freedom for her to pull up a little more so she could spend time cherishing his smooth crown with slow tongue strokes and the tight suction of her mouth. Swiping over his slit, she relished the taste of him, the seeping proof of his pleasure with her efforts.
“More, Krista,” he demanded on a deep, indrawn breath as she nibbled on the mushroom cap.
Taking over, he tightened his hands, offering her no choice but to accept his upward thrust, the thrill that shook Krista from head to toe one she hadn’t felt with such intensity in years. She whimpered around his pumping stalk, not in protest but the desire to keep going, for more of him. His width stretched her lips, the length bumped her throat over and over, but the discomfort didn’t prevent her from sucking on him with hard draws, licking up and down and all around as he face-fucked her with single-minded purpose.
Just as she felt his cock jerk with his impending climax, he pulled out of her mouth, grabbed his penis with one hand, and gripped her shoulder with the other to hold her steady for the hot splashes of his cum on her breasts. Krista’s disappointment over being denied the taste of him down her throat fell to the wayside at the carnal pleasure stamped on his face as he gazed at the white streaks standing out against her sun-pinkened skin. Without conscious thought, she rose up and met his descending mouth, her lips clinging to his as he kissed her with as much deep throated possession as he’d fucked her mouth. A painful tug on one nipple ring drew a low moan and shudder of pleasure and made her grateful for the tight grip he maintained on her shoulder. I could stay like this forever… Master Dax lifted his head, his direct gaze cutting off that thought. His neutral, unreadable look failed to elicit that special glow she loved as he helped her to her feet.
“We’ll be heading in now. You’d better get dressed,” Dax said as he reached behind her and unclipped the cuffs before removing them. Krista missed their snug fit as much as his warmth when he stepped back. Looking over her shoulder, he asked Zach, “Need some help at the helm?”
“Sure.” Turning to Sandie, Zach gave her a swift kiss. “See you downstairs,” he said before following Dax.
“Everything okay?” Sandie asked Krista as she pulled on her clothes.
Slipping her top over her head, Krista tried to ignore the tenderness of her pierced nipples as well as the strange let-down she experienced when Master Dax walked away without an encouraging look signaling his pleasure with her. She ought to be used to his contradictory moods around her by now and shouldn’t let it get to her.
“Fine, just wondering why I can’t figure that man out.”
Sandie’s laugh drew Krista’s own smile. “As soon as you think you’ve got them pegged, they’ll go and do or say something that’ll leave you wondering again. Have you met any of the others?”
Krista slid her feet into her sandals, shaking her head. “No, but he’s mentioned Sean a few times.” She didn’t say Dax had brought up the psychologist because he’d been intent on encouraging her to turn to the other man instead of him. She couldn’t afford to let the small pang of hurt that caused matter. She wasn’t in the market for another full-time Master, and even if—or when—she was, Master Dax had made it clear his interest in her was temporary.
“They’ll probably all try to make it next weekend. You’ll like them, but I don’t know the women all that well. I’ve only been with Zach a few weeks.”
“You’re not alone there. I met Kurt just a few weeks after I started at Chains. I confess, other than my best friend, Alessa, there’s no one else I feel comfortable enough to socialize with. Sometimes, the lifestyle can get lonely.”
They stepped onto the main deck and Krista saw they were already within sight of the pier when Sandie turned and asked, “Would you mind trading numbers with me? One of the hardest things about moving so far away from my family and friends has been not having a friend I can confide in, or just hang out with. The only other woman I know is Hope, who runs the shelter I stayed in when I first came to Miami. She’s been a godsend. I’m crazy about Zach, don’t get me wrong, but he’s spending more time at the office and the days can get long and lonely.”
“Of course. Maybe you and Hope can come over one evening this week and we can have a girls’ night with Alessa. I haven’t done anything like that in years.”
“Oh, I’d love that.”
“Me, too.” Anything, Krista thought, that would divert her attention from Master Dax and expecting too much from his recent change of heart would be welcome. Alessa could also use a few new friends. Her best friend spent way too much time alone when not doing something with Krista.
By the time they’d programmed their numbers into each other’s phones, Zach had maneuvered the mega-yacht into its slot at the Gold Star Marina and cut the motor. The last red-gold sliver of the setting sun disappeared on the western horizon as Dax clasped her hand, thanked the other couple, then led her to his car. Krista felt better by the time he pulled up in front of her small home, his friendly talk of work and the friends she would meet next weekend giving her hope she had misread the closed look on his face earlier.
Miles’ gym had been the go-to place for the gang of seven whenever one of them felt the need to purge emotional stress in a physical manner. As teens, they’d each dealt with their family traumas by acting out in self-destructive ways, and sometimes the baggage they all carried from troubled childhoods came back to haunt them. At other times, they found adulthood just as stressful to deal with. At least, lately, that was how Dax felt. The hand he’d played in Kurt’s death piled upon the guilt he’d lived with since his twin sister, Darci, had died at the age of fourteen from heart failure.
As an adolescent who loved his sister more than anyone else, Dax hadn’t understood why she’d been the one struck with the disease at birth and not him, or how his parents could’ve let their unhappiness with each other leave them blind to all the signs until it was too late. As an adult, he’d known the consequences of giving in to Kurt’s pleas to bring him the drugs needed to end his life and had done so, regardless. He’d told himself it was the right thing to do considering the horrendous months with no hope looming ahead of his colleague. But in the back of his mind, then and now, lurked the haunting, unanswerable question of whether his main motive had been Krista.
Entering the old warehouse turned martial arts gym Monday evening, the tenseness that had left Dax edgy since dropping Krista off yesterday coiled even tighter. The image of her kneeling at his feet, her mouth working his cock and those blue eyes filled with pleasure when she gazed up at him refused to be erased. That same look had been on her face the first time he’d entered their home, only directed toward her husband, not him. Remembering that reminded him this was a temporary liaison and the whole purpose of setting aside strong feelings he knew could never lead anywhere was to offer her the ease of working with a Master she knew and was comfortable enough with to let go. That was why he’d refrained from fucking her, and would continue to do so, as a reminder she wasn’t for him. He’d just never imagined it would be so damned difficult.
Even with the wide, double doors leading into the sparring gym closed, Dax could hear the punch of gloved fists against leather bags, the thud of bodies falling on mats, and the grunts of exertion that accounted for the pungent smell of sweat. It was a far cry from his sterile, quiet doc
tor’s office where he’d spent the day, and he strode across the reception area to sign in at the desk, itching to let loose.
After changing into a pair of gym shorts, a tee and tennis shoes in the locker room, Dax spotted Miles and Jackson sparring in a roped off, raised ring on the far side of the gym. Their chests gleaming with sweat and heavy panting indicated they’d been at it a while, and the way they split and exited the ring as soon as they saw him confirmed it.
“Don’t stop on my account,” he greeted them as he approached.
“Hell, that son-of-bitch still refuses to cut me any slack.” Jackson wiped down his face with a small towel. Glaring at Miles, he growled, “Take your pissy mood out on a punching bag next time.”
“Wimp. What brings you here?” Miles asked Dax.
Jackson’s disgruntlement didn’t seem to faze Miles; then again, it took a lot to rile him, even when he was in a pissy mood. Of the seven of them, he maintained the tightest hold on his emotions, until he blew. Then they would either step back, or intervene, whatever the situation warranted. “I could use a workout. Do I need any other reason?”
“Nope, but you often have one.”
“Well, count me out, but I’ll stick around to watch so I can hear more about the widow you rescued last week.”
Dax switched from Jackson’s smug face to Miles’ bland look. “Gossiping?”
Miles scoffed. “Not hardly, but if you want to keep secrets from any of us, go back overseas.”
Shrugging, Dax climbed into the ring and caught the gloves Miles tossed to him. “No secrets, bro, just nothing there to discuss.” Working on the mitts, he turned to Jackson. “What brought you into the big city?”