“Yeah, you get it. We have to be still if we don’t want to brush up against each other.” Krista looked down at Dax as he knelt and attached a spreader bar between her feet. “Just when I think you can’t come up with anything more conniving.”
“Maybe you should quit thinking along those lines,” Dax drawled.
Alessa shook her head, holding her breath as Sean bound her feet apart in a spreader bar as well, then shuddered when he ran his palms up the back of her legs and over her quivering buttocks as he stood. Okay, I can do this, she lectured herself when the touch of his hands built upon the heat swelling her vagina. All she needed to do was concentrate on staying still if she didn’t want to feel her nipples brushing against Krista’s. We’re close, but not that close, she mused, with a silent groan at how hard it was going to be when she saw both men unhooking the floggers at their waists. She’d cringed when she first saw the two-foot long, narrow leather strips swinging against Sean’s thigh as he walked. Recalling the pleasure she’d always reaped from his swats, she prayed the same would hold true for the stinging lashes about to come.
“Nervous?” Sean whispered in her ear as he pressed against her back.
“A little.”
“Scared?” he asked, biting the soft skin on her neck.
Alessa turned her head just enough to peer at his face. The patient, steady gaze of those pewter eyes settled her nerves, the way that look had done since she’d first stepped into his office a nervous wreck. “No, not scared.”
“That’s my girl.” He gripped her head and held her still for a mouth to mouth onslaught that increased the never-ending ache for more by the time he released her.
Master Sean’s first stroke stung her buttocks the same time Master Dax applied his flogger to Krista’s ass. Both girls jerked, the brush of their nipples sending a matching, pink wave of warmth over their faces. Then Krista’s mouth curled in a small smile with the next snap of leather and she laid her head back and closed her eyes, the look on her face one of sheer bliss that overruled the embarrassing awkwardness of their bound predicament.
Following her lead, Alessa clamped her eyes shut and held her breath when she heard the telltale swoosh of leather then felt the multiple rows of stinging heat along her upper thighs. Her buttocks tingled with pinpricks of pain and warmth as he worked the flogger over her ass and thighs, her efforts to remain still failing against the building heated pleasure. Her and Krista’s arms would brush on one lash, their nipples on another. One much harder stroke resulted in the bump of their hips, but they managed to keep their eyes closed and ignore the self-consciousness over their innocent touches in favor of their escalating arousal.
“So pretty,” Sean said, running a finger over one throbbing stripe across her butt.
Alessa shook from that light touch, craving more than just his finger. Her nipples throbbed in tune with the stripes covering her buttocks and thighs, but when he reached around her and plucked the clamps off, the blood rushing to the numb tips sent stabbing waves of pain to the engorged buds. “Shit!” she exclaimed, sucking in big gulps of air to help her through the worst of it.
“You should’ve remembered what happens when circulation gets cut off then resumes all of a sudden,” Dax chided, his grin unsympathetic as he removed the chain from Krista’s nipple rings and handed it over to Sean.
“Ha, ha.” Both men frowned at her sarcastic return before Dax walked over and delivered two hard swats right on the stripes Sean had left behind. Krista shook her head, reminding Alessa to bite back the sharp retort begging to be uttered. Damn but it was easy to forget the rules when they were in public. She didn’t have this much trouble when it was just her and Master Sean.
Voices heralded the arrival of the rest of the group to the top deck as Dax and Sean released Krista and Alessa from their bonds. Alessa fell against Sean and breathed a contented sigh when he wrapped his arm around her. The slow trail of his finger down her crack then over her slit compelled her to press closer to him and bury her face against his chest. Somehow, she knew he planned on continuing to make her wait for release, and when he removed his hand after a teasing dip inside her and one slow caress over her aching clit, she had to suppress a groan of frustration and another hovering complaint.
Julie, Hope and Sandie were all naked, which helped ease Alessa’s embarrassment. At the clubs, she’d known no one, which cut down on the embarrassment, and before she’d hooked up with Sean, the few times she’d been with the group had been at social functions that didn’t include BDSM proclivities.
They settled around the tables under the cover of the outdoor kitchen; Zach, Troy and Trevor manning the grill as the rest of them set out the food everyone contributed. Sean took a seat, tossed one of the lounge cushions at his feet then pointed for her to kneel. On shaky legs, Alessa sank down at his side, a contented sigh slipping out without her realizing it or its significance. Krista also knelt at Dax’s feet with Julie and Hope perched on Jackson’s and Miles’ laps. Sandie conversed quietly with the Carlsons’ guest at the end of the table.
As the aroma of grilled hamburgers and sausages permeated the ocean air, the lulling rock of the yacht prompted Alessa to lay her head on Sean’s rock-hard thigh with another soft breathy sigh. His low voice above her accompanied the brush of his hand down her head. The shiver of longing that racked her body was one of a whole different nature than the lust-induced shivers she’d been feeling, and left her wondering how such a simple gesture could feel so good, could mean so much to her.
Zach announced the burgers were done and Sean disturbed her pleasant lassitude by hauling her onto his lap and wrapping an arm around her. With her body still humming from the effects of their earlier scene, the hard outline of his erection pressing against her butt skyrocketed her arousal—and that was before she looked up and saw his face stamped with raw lust, his eyes shining with a dark fire that swept her body with heat and made her core weep.
“Eat,” he commanded in that low, deep voice she was powerless to refuse.
He handed her a hamburger dripping with melted cheese and after taking one bite, she didn’t know which she wanted more of most, the food or him. Alessa hadn’t realized how hungry she was, but it appeared Sean had known. Her unease with being naked around this group settled even more while they ate and she listened to the chatter around the table. Like any social gathering, the men’s topics shifted to sports and touched upon politics, a subject she always steered clear of. The girls talked in quieter murmurs to whomever they were sitting next to, but like her, Krista seemed content to just sit on her Master’s lap and listen to the low rumble of his voice.
“You girls have cleanup duty,” Zach announced a short time later, after they’d polished off the food. “We’ll wait for you in the playroom.” He bent and pinched Sandie’s chin to lift her face for his kiss before adding, “Don’t keep me waiting.”
SEAN SPOTTED a small bruise on Alessa’s right buttock when she entered the playroom and he enjoyed knowing she’d allowed his discipline for her own good. She turned, spotting him by the spanking bench and he crooked a finger. As she came toward him without hesitation, he wondered if she realized how easily she’d adhered to his commands the past few days. When it came to his sexual demands, she complied with a natural acceptance every Dom craved from a submissive. That she hadn’t argued when he’d instructed her in other areas like eating and resting, had boosted his optimism she was the one for him, even if he’d caught flares of resentment and annoyance crossing her face on occasion. The past forty-eight hours confirmed what he’d suspected—his girl thirsted more for someone to care than to cede all control. As for him, he thought, grasping her about the waist and lifting her onto the padded bench, he could live without demanding the full control he’d always thought he would need to make a long-term relationship work, as long as he knew she would comply with his demands concerning anything that would ensure her health and safety.
“You seem to have lost some of your shyne
ss around the group,” he commented, helping her to lie back. The distinct sounds of BDSM play reverberated around the room, but he only had eyes and ears for Alessa.
“It helps you guys act so… normal when you’re…” She waved her arm around the room.
“Who’s to say what’s normal?” He lifted her arms above her and once again wrapped her wrists in cuffs. He’d have to get a pair made just for her, ones she could wear when not at work. The very idea of labeling Alessa as his in such a way sent a fresh surge of blood to his already engorged cock. Gliding his hands down her arms to her heaving breasts, he paused to rotate his palms over her nipples before trailing down her quivering abdomen to cup her soft, round thighs. Pushing them apart, he yanked her hips until her ass teetered on the edge of the bench and she lay stretched out taut as a bowstring. After securing her hips with a wide strap, he wrapped two more straps around each knee, binding them wide apart and to the back legs of the bench. “I think tying you down and fucking you until you scream is normal.”
She jerked against the bindings and a thread of panic crossed her face. “Alessa, look at me.” Those whiskey eyes flew up to his face. “Take a deep breath. It’s different, not even being able to move your hips, but trust me.” Every other time he’d bound her, he’d made sure he left her with control over at least one body part. Taking bondage a step further always required patience, and a close watch on the sub for her reaction.
“I’m okay now.” Her voice emerged with a catch, but her face and muscles had calmed.
“Of course you are.” Reaching up, he tweaked her nipples, not too hard, just enough to divert her attention to their lingering discomfort from the clamps. “There you go,” he stated with a small smile when she greeted the insertion of two fingers into her slick pussy with a spate of more cream.
“Sir…”
“Call me Master Sean,” he interrupted, needing to hear his title fall from her trembling lips. He rasped over her protruding clit and saw her thighs tighten with the urge to move against his hand.
“Master Sean, please.”
“I’m finding it more difficult by the day to resist your pleas, no matter how much I enjoy hearing them.” Sean released his cock into his right hand and stroked his hot flesh while retrieving a tube of lubricant from under the bench and a condom from his pocket.
“You don’t need that,” Alessa protested when he rolled the protective barrier on and squeezed a dollop of lube onto her stomach.
“I do to take your ass.” Keeping his eyes on her face, Sean worked two then three greased fingers into her rectum, loosening the tight muscles with a few short jabs.
“Oh, God,” she whispered when he replaced his fingers with his cock head, pushing past her sphincter with a plop then waiting for her to adjust to the new experience.
“Just Master, sweetheart,” he teased. Scooping up the lube on her belly, he applied the cool gel to her swollen clit and watched her eyes practically roll back in her head. Sean used the distraction to push another inch into Alessa’s ass.
“Master, Sir, whatever, just please… more.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He fucking loved hearing it. Pumping inside her rectum with short, shallow thrusts, he rolled her clit between his fingers, milking the small piece of slippery, sensitive flesh until her body shone with a sheen of perspiration and she shuddered with a litany of soft moans.
“Come for me, Alessa. Squeeze my fingers and cock.” He’d no more uttered the words than she went flying apart, crying out as her muscles contracted around his cock and fingers, just as he’d ordered. The evening sealed it for Sean; she was the one he’d almost given up hope of finding. Now, all he had to do was convince Alessa they could make this work on a permanent basis. His balls drew taut as he reamed her ass deeper, her lush body quivering as his climax burst forth and she again creamed over his fingers and contracted around him. Even with the exalted pleasure ripping through his body, he knew he still had his work cut out for him in knocking down the last of her insecurities.
ALESSA RETURNED to her bungalow Sunday riding on a cloud of sated bliss. Being with Master Sean the last few days had fulfilled fantasies she didn’t even know she’d harbored. His strict rules backed by constant gestures showing care for her welfare enhanced her responses to his sexual control. She’d never come so often in such a short expanse of time, and a thrill shot through her as she recalled the pleasure of basking in being the sole focus of his attention. She’d never been the object of a man’s sole focus for longer than he took to climax, and it was a heady experience she could easily get used to. Her fingers were clear of soreness and redness for the first time in years and it dawned on her she’d never felt as calm, content and happy as she had the past few days. Since he never said a word about changing their relationship from the temporary introduction into a different lifestyle they’d set out on, she knew how unwise it would be to read more into his undivided, solicitous attention than what they’d agreed upon. But she was feeling so good now, she refused to allow that small slight to prevent her from facing the day with an optimistic outlook for a future with Master Sean.
The only cloud casting a shadow over her euphoric mood from her growing attachment to Sean was Charles’ underhanded maneuver to get her into the OR. She now suspected the doctor’s actions were an effort to get her working closer with him, something she recalled him mentioning several times during the month they’d dated. She’d had time to tone down her shock and anger over the other nurse’s allegations, but not to come up with a plan to deal with him. Their split had been a mutual, friendly agreement, so unless she’d read him all wrong, his actions made no sense. Numerous past failed relationships attested to Alessa’s often poor judgment of character, but she didn’t think she could be that far off.
Alessa arrived at work to learn Paul Bates, Sean’s father, had improved enough to be transferred from ICU to the heart floor and was assigned to her. His dad had seemed much better yesterday when they’d stopped by the hospital on their way to the marina. His sister had been visiting him and she could tell Sean and his aunt were close. With Paul’s greying dark hair and lean frame, she knew where Sean’s height and coloring came from, but he must’ve inherited his sharp, assessing silver eyes from his mother as his aunt’s eyes were identical to Paul’s vivid blue. After their short meeting with the earlier shift nurses, she padded down the hall to Paul’s room, stopping short of entering when she heard Vivian, Paul’s sister, mention her name.
“Lucky you,” Vivian stated. “Alessa, Sean’s attractive nurse, Alessa, has been assigned to you. I’ve never known him to introduce a woman to you before. It sounds serious.”
“Doubtful,” Paul returned with a despondent sigh. “That boy will never settle down. He refuses to forgive me and won’t risk failing, as I did.”
“Maybe if you talk to him, try a little harder, Paul,” she chided in a soft voice that lacked censure.
“I know him, even though he thinks I don’t. He’ll never allow himself to care for a woman.” He released another audible sigh before saying, “I wouldn’t have minded a grandchild or two.”
Paul’s wistful tone was lost on Alessa as she moved down the hall to another patient’s room, her heart racing with disappointment and dejection. Those few choice words smothered her hope for a real relationship with Master Sean, and she found herself hard-pressed to catch her breath as the familiar pain of rejection clutched at her abdomen. The man who knew Sean best would know if he could care for her in the way she’d craved her whole life, and Paul’s comments shredded the final pages she’d spent the morning writing a happy future on.
Alessa didn’t know how she got through her shift without coming apart. Casey hadn’t asked questions when she’d requested another nurse take Paul Bates, but she’d had to turn away from the curiosity on her supervisor’s face. Tears clogged her throat as she rode the elevator down to the parking garage and drove home in a blurry state of hopelessness. When will I learn? Except for Kris
ta, there’d been no one willing to go the long haul with her, stand by her or even support her. She’d been a fool to let her guard down, to allow herself to believe Sean’s attentiveness the past few days meant more than he’d intended.
Where she went from here, she hadn’t a clue, and by the time she crumpled into bed, the dam holding her tears back burst.
CHAPTER 13
A lessa’s mood stayed in the dumps through a sleepless night, after ignoring Sean’s call and while she prepared for work on Monday with little enthusiasm. She didn’t think she could feel any lower until Casey called her into her office after the shift meeting.
“Alessa, I’m sorry, but Dr. Ward has filed an insubordination complaint against you.” Stunned, she stiffened with bafflement at Charles’ unjust actions. Her boss held up her hand when Alessa opened her mouth to refute the charge. “I know good and well you wouldn’t disrespect a doctor, but without proof, his charge will be a blemish on your record and could result in a suspension, or worse. Do you know where this is coming from?”
Sinking onto a chair, she shook her head and told Casey about the OR nurse’s accusations and her cool greeting to Charles when she’d passed him in the hall last week. “I swear, Casey, I didn’t say a word, just nodded and kept on walking, nothing that merits such a charge. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” She fisted her hands in her lap, the urge to hunt down Charles and lay into him threatening her control. Damn it, one man doesn’t want me, at least not for long, and another is intent on giving me grief. I can’t win. A small curl of anger nudged at the melancholy she hadn’t been able to shake since yesterday, and she feared keeping both emotions in check over the next eight hours might be impossible.
“Do you know this other nurse’s name?” Casey asked.