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  "No, Master." She spoke softly, her voice weak as need rushed through her body.

  "Have you forgotten who I am?"

  "You are Master Eric."

  "Then you must be a defiant little sub and are purposely refusing to address me as I've asked."

  "No! Forgive me, Master, it wasn't intentional."

  "Were you distracted? Daydreaming like in class?"

  "Yes. I can't think with your hands on my bottom and when you touched my—" Val stopped short, unused to speaking in frank terms about her anatomy as he did. She knew she'd have to toughen up, considering her surroundings.

  "Say it. My fingers on your pussy distracted you."

  "Oh yes, your fingers on my . . ." Unsettled under the scrutiny of his gaze, she managed to conquer her nerves and say it. "Your fingers on my pussy distracted me."

  "Since inattention is the reason for your punishment, we'll have to add strokes when we begin."

  "When we begin?" What had they been doing? She thought they had already begun. Belatedly, she remembered to tack on his title. "Master!"

  Smiling, he caressed her cheek. "Ah sweet innocent, learning will be challenging for you, but so much fun for me. Do you feel punished? Or has this felt like foreplay?"

  "Kinky foreplay, Master."

  "This has actually been quite tame. I wouldn't even consider it a warm-up. Let me expand your education. For being such a poor student today, we'll proceed with a round of the flogger and finish with a few licks with the crop. That will kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by completing your implement lesson and introducing you to discipline." Leaning forward, he kissed her, a soft, warm caress of lips. "You are doing quite well, Valerie. I'm pleased."

  Walking back to his position behind her, his voice deepened and took on an edge of authority. "What are your safewords, sub?"

  "Red for stop, yellow for slow down, Master."

  "Yes, and where are you now?"

  "Blue?"

  "What?"

  "Halfway between green and yellow, Master, which makes blue."

  His full-bodied, husky roll of laughter washed over her and made her smile, despite her predicament.

  "Master Eric, is everything okay here?" It was Master Thomas' voice.

  "Yes, Thomas. My little subbie here is just being delightfully sassy and entertaining. You know the type."

  "Yes, Sir. I find it the very best type. Congratulations on finding her. I'll leave you be."

  Val, who had been holding her breath ever since the man had spoken, shivered with mortification. Her undoubtedly red bottom was mostly bare and on display; he couldn't have missed it.

  Eric's hand instantly came to her back. "Valerie? Are you still blue?"

  "Yes, Master. I'm just not used to being seen in this position."

  "I imagine not. Although I am not an avid exhibitionist, I do enjoy scenes. The members expect it of me from time to time. I also do demonstrations. My submissive would need to participate, of course." His hand stroked soothingly up and down her spine as he spoke. "Would that be a problem for you?"

  "I suppose not, Master. It will just take getting used to."

  "You are quite lovely. With you as my sub, I would be the envy of all the Decadence Doms… and quite a few of the Mistresses, too."

  "Like Mistress Tara?"

  "Why do you ask? Did she say something to you?"

  "She seemed eager to punish me. Maybe I'm reading more into it."

  "I doubt it. She has an affinity for fresh submissives. I've had to counsel her before. Don't worry about that," he reassured. It seemed odd to Val, carrying on a conversation while bared over a bench, but Eric took it in stride. She watched as he picked up the flogger from the hook on the side of the bench.

  "Just a few warm-ups," was her only warning before his hand connected with her bottom, instantly reigniting the burning ache in her pussy. A particularly smarting swat landed on her upper thigh and she yelped. Several more followed on both sides, before Eric paused and rubbed her hot flesh.

  "Time for your flogging, my sweet Valerie. I don't expect you to count these. The way I wield the lash makes counting difficult, but I do expect you to take your punishment without too much carrying on. Tears and some noise are allowed, but no screaming, name calling or cursing. Understood?"

  "Yes Master. I'm a little scared. Will it hurt much?"

  "You'll have to be the judge of that, little one. This is a light-weight flogger, for beginners, but as punishment you will feel a sting, more than the paddle certainly."

  Without further explanation, he applied the first lash, the ribbons falling across her upturned bottom with a slap. Val was relieved that the sensation was rather mild. Minutes later, as the flails fell faster, she decided she must have been mistaken. Each ribbon now created an intense prickle of stinging fire wherever it touched. Tears stung her eyes after another minute. She heard a whooshing sound before the next strike, and the contact felt different almost soothing. Had she become numb to the pain? The repetitive sound surrounded her, almost comforting in its predictability. It lulled her, calming her as the fire in her bottom coalesced into a sensual heat.

  At that moment, the final stroke fell and she heard the flogger hit the floor with a thud. "What color are we, Valerie?"

  "Green, Master." Her voice was husky, as she floated in a dreamlike state of lassitude.

  She heard a chuckle behind her then a, "Very good. You please me very much. Just a few from the crop and your punishment will be over. Then I will demonstrate aftercare."

  Only a few seconds passed before she felt a light tapping on her bottom followed by a thwap as the crop connected. Val sucked in her breath, but more from the sound than the pain. Another followed another as he moved it over her hot skin at a steady pace. She wondered at the impact. Where she had expected a line of fire, instead it was more like the feel of the leather paddle, only on a smaller scale. He gave her about twenty or so, before it too landed on the floor alongside the flogger.

  What followed was a glorious soothing moist heat. What was that? Her bottom was so tender it was hard to tell. Her panties came down and the pleasure invaded her swollen nether lips. She was assailed by the heat of his mouth and she groaned as he branded her with his lips.

  "Sweet Valerie," he murmured against her sensitive skin, "you are beautifully responsive. Your ass is a stunning rosy red and this divine pussy is weeping for me. Such a good girl you were during your punishment. You've earned a reward."

  "Yes, please Master. I'll die if you don't touch me."

  His fingers spread her lips, the cool air of the room brushing against her swollen tissues. The long lick of his tongue was almost too much to bear and accompanied by his groan of pleasure.

  "Your honey tastes so sweet." He lapped at her, from her aching clit to her gushing center. He shocked her by continuing upward and teasing the tip of his tongue around her puckered hole.

  Val had never felt anything like it. The intensity was beyond her imagination—beyond anything she thought possible. When Eric sucked her clit into his mouth and nipped it between his teeth, she squealed with delight. When he added two fingers inside her clenching pussy, she went ballistic and came with a scream of unsurpassed pleasure.

  She collapsed weakly, replete and virtually paralyzed over the bench, despite his release of her restraints, coming back to awareness only when she felt him ease her pants and panties back into place. The nylon and spandex blend pants locked in the heat from her still very sensitive bottom. She wished she'd worn a dress and could go commando. She'd know better next time.

  As he helped her off the bench, she wondered about that. Would there be a next time? He had talked about her being his submissive, but in indirect terms, using ifs and hypotheticals. That wasn't a commitment or statement of intent. Where were the negotiations and contracts they'd spoken of in class?

  Her confusion must have shown on her face because he kissed her softly with a tender smile. "Fear not. Aftercare includes answer
ing any questions you might have, sweetness."

  Wrapping her in a soft blanket, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to one of the private booths. As he cuddled her close, pressing soft, gentle kisses along her cheek and against her hair, she sighed in contentment, all questions and worries evaporating like a mist in the breeze.

  Chapter Four

  Eric pulled into the drive of Valerie's ranch style home at about 6:45. He was a bit early for their dinner date, his thirty-mile commute from LA having taking considerably less time than he'd expected for this time of day. As he walked up to her front porch, he noticed the yard was well maintained and she had shrub beds and flowering plants as well as a multitude of ferns and flowering baskets hanging from her wide porch. He smiled, imagining her tending her garden in a wide-brimmed floppy hat and short shorts. He saw her swing off to the side and pictured her relaxing with a glass of wine in the evenings, waving at the neighbors out walking, or just watching the world go by.

  It was very domestic and it gave him an odd sense of contentment. As a Navy SEAL, traveling the world for years, he'd never felt the urge for hearth and home, but as he aged, his needs had changed. Recently, he'd begun to think he'd missed out by not having a wife and family. Valerie seemed like home to him, or his idea of what home should be.

  At forty, Val was very different from most of the single women at The Club—giggling, flighty girls, half his age. Most were interested in acting out their own Fifty Shades of Gray fantasy. Damn book was a blessing and a curse.

  He rang her doorbell, wondering what was so special about the little suburbanite that had his cock hard 24/7 and him thinking about domesticity for the first time in his life. As Val pulled the door open, he had an inkling. Her smile lit up her face, and her fresh look with just a hint of makeup was a refreshing break from the heavy mascara and eyeliner used by most subs at The Club. Her soft blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders, the curls bouncing as she moved. She was dressed in a sleeveless clingy top, her skirt coming to mid-thigh. Her feet were in flats, some kind of thong sandal, and without heels, he realized how tiny she was. She was intelligent, daring and sexy as hell. She'd even taken everything he had to offer on her fist night. He decided to try to stop reasoning about why he was attracted and just enjoy the ride.

  "Hello there! You're right on time." Stepping back, she swept her arm out wide. "Welcome to my humble abode, Master Eric."

  "I'm Master in the dungeon; can't we be just Eric and Valerie tonight?"

  "Yes, Sir." Her hand flew to her mouth. "Sorry, I guess it's just force of habit. You give off this vibe of authority. Maybe it's your military background, but I feel compelled to add a title of respect, like I would a police office, doctor or a judge. I'll try to remember though, Eric."

  "I like to hear Sir on your lips, so either Sir or Eric or even Sir Eric would please me just fine."

  Smiling, she led him through to her kitchen and offered him a beer.

  "You were dead on about my military background. I was a Navy SEAL for a big part of my life."

  "You've got the build and bearing of a soldier, but it was T who said for sure. So what made you leave?"

  "I'm getting a bit old to be rappelling and jumping from choppers. I was in the Reserves until about three years ago."

  "Did you serve overseas much?"

  "Yes, I was recalled to active duty multiple times as a Reservist."

  "You've been to Iraq or Afghanistan then?"

  "More times than I care to recall, if truth be told. I've been over there so much, I still have sand in my ass crack."

  Her musical laughter rang out at his mildly crude joke.

  As he tipped the bottle to his lips, he looked around the room at the warm cedar hardwood floors and matching cabinets, stone countertops, and perfectly matched cream colored appliances. The ceiling over her workspace had recessed lighting and two frosted skylights. The mossy green walls gave the room a comfortable, inviting feeling. A pair of French doors was open and led out onto a patio. He got up, wandered to the door and saw she had set a table for two outside.

  "Dinner smells great. I could have taken you somewhere and spared you the fuss."

  "It's no fuss. I love to cook, but it's no fun for one person. The kids only come home once every few months, so I rarely get a chance to do this."

  "Good, because a home-cooked meal is a treat for me. I'm not much of a cook, so I tend to grab something on the go. I can grill up a mean steak when the mood strikes, but since moving to LA, I haven't had the opportunity." Patting his stomach, he added, "All the take-out is beginning to catch up with me."

  She snorted and he turned, catching her staring. Had she been checking out his ass?

  "You hardly have the middle-age paunch, Sir. I don't see an ounce of fat, only muscle." He sensed her embarrassment; gawking and commenting on his body were evidently out of character for her. Her combination of shyness and daring was very appealing.

  "Running Decadence must keep you busy."

  Eric suppressed a laugh when she promptly changed the subject, an obvious attempt to draw his attention away from her scrutiny of his body. He let it slide for now.

  "That it does. Either The Club or Rossi Security consume almost all of my time."

  "How did you get away tonight?"

  "We're closed on Tuesday and Sunday, well, to the regulars that is. We have an LGBT exclusive every Tuesday and I let one of the Dommes manage for the evening."

  "No intimidating hetero Master Dom needed, huh?"

  "Mistress Jana is plenty intimidating. She walks softly and carries a big stick by the name of Bertha. Everyone minds their p's and q's on her watch."

  "That gives you a break then, that's good. All work and no play make Sir a dull boy."

  "Believe me, for me The Club is play. I get to combine work and pleasure on most nights."

  He glimpsed her frown before she turned and pulled a pan from the oven. "I hope you like coq au vin. I also have green beans Florentine and melt-in-your-mouth yeast rolls. Would you care to open the wine while I plate everything, Sir?"

  Accepting the corkscrew, he remained silent until she met his eyes in question. "I'll happily do my part, if you share the thought that marred your pretty face with a frown a moment ago."

  Her eyes widened before she tried hedging. "It's nothing." Setting their plates and a bread basket on a wide wooden tray, she set two wine glasses in front of him and asked if he was ready to eat, as if a question wasn't still on the table.

  Moving in, he grabbed her around her waist, a hand cupping her chin to ensure he had her complete attention. "Little sub, I may be able to tone down my Master persona outside The Club, but I am by nature a dominant. I can't turn that off like a switch. When I ask a question, I appreciate a prompt courteous answer. Less than that makes me think that a bare bottom and rosy cheeks are in order. Understand?"

  Gulping, she met his searing gaze. "Yes, Sir."

  "Then why the frown?"

  "I was thinking about…" She closed her eyes briefly. He knew she was gathering her courage, because an instant later they flew open and she blurted, "I didn't like the thought of you playing with another woman, like you did with me."

  "I see. Are you asking for exclusivity?"

  "I know it's soon, but I thought after…" Her cheeks bloomed with color as she lowered her eyes.

  "After what?" He didn't enjoy watching her struggle. Knowing where she was headed, he could help her out, but coming to her assistance now wouldn't give him the insight he needed.

  "You might think I'm bold for going there alone that night or maybe that I'm lonely and desperate. The truth is that I'm interested in pursuing this lifestyle and learning more about it all, but I am not a party girl or promiscuous. I've had two sex partners in my entire life, three if I count you. You know about my husband, the other man… well, without going in to detail, let's just call it an embarrassing failure. I learned to sublimate my need for sex with the need to care for my family. I volunt
eered for every PTA event, baked cookies and cakes, worked bazaars and bake sales; sold raffle tickets and served as PTA secretary for seven years running. That outlet is gone now and I'm ready to graduate from vanilla to a chocolate fudge sundae with nuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top. Still, I can only stray so far from my conservative upbringing. I can do kink, I can get spanked and flogged and play with naughty toys and even learn to tolerate having my bottom bared while a stranger holds a commonplace conversation in the same room. I cannot, and will not, share or swap or engage in threesomes. I'm going to have to make that a hard limit and I would expect my Dom, the one I hope to be with exclusively, to want that or at least respect the fact that I want that for myself."

  When she finally came to the end of her soliloquy, Eric was amazed that she hadn't passed out. She'd barely paused for breath as she'd laid down the list of her demands. He brushed his thumb against her parted lips. "That was quite a speech."

  Nodding, she bowed her head, able to do it only because he had moved his hand from her chin. "I'll understand if you don't want to stay. I'm sure with all your experience, you would be bored with someone like me. An inexperienced, middle aged, frump of a woman with crazy bondage fantasies."

  "It sounds like you have made up my mind for me. Maybe you want to be the dominant in the relationship instead?"

  "No! I didn't mean…" She glanced up and saw he was smiling. "You're laughing at me." Her mouth turned down into a cute little moue and she tried to pull away.

  "Not laughing, but I can't help but smile. You're sweet and have an air of innocence that is utterly captivating. One minute you're cute as a button, the next you're sinfully sexy and tempting as hell. I wouldn't find it a hardship to enter into a monogamous relationship, especially with a fascinating woman who has the potential to capture my heart. In fact, it would be a pleasure."

  "What?" Her eyes flew to his, searching.