Cherise Sinclair - If only

“My pleasure.” He gave her another long look, making her want to drop to her knees and beg him to keep her. To love her.

Sally, you’re a disgrace to your gender. “I should be fine now.”

“Let’s just make sure of that.” He picked a leash—a damned leash!—out of the basket and clipped it to her collar.

Love him? She’d rather kick him right in his pride and joys.

He led her around the bar to the area where the subs liked to hang out. Sure enough, there were a few there now, including Gabi and one of the trainees—Maxie. If Gabi was in the subbie area, Master Marcus must be around somewhere. He didn’t let her come to the Shadowlands without him. Maxie was probably taking a break and figuring out who she wanted to play with. The pretty blonde was totally sweet, although a bit on the insecure side, always trying to disguise what she called her fat ass.

“Ladies,” Vance greeted them politely. “Sit, Sally.”

She settled herself, and he picked up a chain from the floor beside the chair. One end of the chain was attached to an eyebolt in the floor; he secured the other to her collar. When in grade school, a 4-H friend had a pet goat that she’d tie up in the backyard. Yeah. Would Vance notice if she baaaed at him? She scowled at him instead.

“You have the prettiest face, even if you try to look upset.” He tucked one finger under her collar to hold her as he kissed her. Softly, then completely aggressive. He tilted his head and took it deeper. Taking until her scowl melted, until her bones melted. Until her heart melted. Demon Dom.

Finished, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Stay put. Right here. If you unclip that chain, I’ll paddle your ass—and not in a fun way.”

She hadn’t forgotten the sting of the wood or the unhappiness of disappointing him. “Yes, Sir.”

“Oh yeah, that sounds nice,” he murmured, running a finger over her wet lips before he strode away. Back to his DM duties, leaving her stuck in subbie-land. Well, at least the company was good.

“Stay put?” Gabi was giggling. “Miss Mouthy Sally gets an order like that and says, ‘Yes, Sir’? Oh. My. God.”

Maxie fanned her face. “I think it was totally hot.”

“You’re both right,” Sally muttered, unable to keep from glancing over her shoulder at her Dom. She even liked the way he walked. Not graceful. Not aggressive, but…powerful. Darn football player with that linebacker’s confidence of knowing he could flatten anyone in his path. People picked up on it and cleared out of his way. With a sigh, she turned back to the women.

“I wish I could find someone with that confidence. And authority. Some authority would definitely be nice.” Maxie pouted. “In my last scene, the guy asked every two minutes if I liked what he was doing. ‘Are you sure that’s okay, Maxie? Not too tight?’ He must have flunked out of Dom school. Seriously.”

“Don’t you hate that? When you give them the right to command, and they don’t?” Sally shook her head. “Would you believe one man put nipple clamps on me…and the second I squawked, he took them right off. No Dom cookies for that wussy.”

But her Feds…her majorly dominating Feds would earn an entire box of chocolate chip cookies.

“Oh man, I think I did a scene with that wimp. Totally forgettable.” Maxie slouched back on the leather couch. “Last month, Master Sam put clamps on me. When I whimpered, his eyes lit up, and he tightened them until I was up on tiptoes.” She gave a happy sigh. “There’s no one like a Master.”

“Well, even the Masters have weak moments.” Gabi toyed with the blue streak in her shaggy red hair. “Marcus actually brought me breakfast in bed last weekend.”

Sally considered. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

“I guess.” Gabi shrugged. “But I was in a bitchy mood; I told him he was a failure as a Dom. A disgrace to the world of masterly men.”

Maxie’s eyes almost bugged out of her head. “No!”

Sally shook her head. Knowing Master Marcus, he’d probably laughed and—

“He spanked me so hard I had to eat breakfast standing up. I almost threw the eggs at him, but”—Gabi grinned—“even bratty submissives know there’s a time to stop. And that’s the wonderful part about it all.”

Sally bit her lip, remembering the cabana. Her punishment. Or how Galen had pinned her facedown on the kitchen counter and taught her what ice felt like. And each time, how…settled…she’d felt afterward. She’d never felt like that before in her casual playtimes here. “Yeah. It is.”

Gabi leaned back on the couch. “Since Marcus is helping out with a suspension scene, you have plenty of time to tell me what’s going on with you and the Feds. Spill it, girl.”

Waiting beside a freestanding St. Andrew’s cross, Galen smiled as Vance brought Sally into the dungeon. She displayed the bravado that had initially attracted him, but now he could see the underlying vulnerability, which she’d concealed so well.

She’d done the homework he’d assigned. The essay. Even though she hadn’t documented all her father had done, he could see the effect of the bastard’s actions. And because she’d been writing—thinking rather than reacting—Sally realized how her thought processes had been twisted. She was an incredibly intelligent woman—but even under the light of her intellect, the problems weren’t going to disappear overnight.

He’d been impressed at how doggedly she was trying. She had guts, all right.

And she also had a bubbly-as-champagne personality. Merely being on the receiving end of one of her smiles could lift his mood…and he found it disturbing how much she’d come to mean to him. Christ, where was he going with this?

He didn’t want a permanent submissive. Or a lover. Or anyone who could be hurt by his job or actions…or anything. And yet the thought of losing her made him feel as if he’d run into a wall.

He and Vance needed to talk. Soon.

As the two approached, Galen crossed his arms over his chest. “Nice collar, pet.” He ran his finger over the leather, brushing the satiny skin of her neck, listening to the hitch in her breathing. Her lip trembled slightly, and he paused. The collar meant something to her, didn’t it? Did she want to be claimed? By them? Possessiveness surged through him like a rising tide.

“She looks good in a collar, doesn’t she?” Vance had his hand on her shoulder, displaying the same ownership Galen felt.

Odd how they’d never run into problems with territoriality. But Vance felt like the brother Galen never had—sharing with him felt…right. “She does.” Galen lifted his eyebrows. “Was there a reason she needed one?”

Standing behind Sally, Vance winked and said gravely, “I’m afraid so. Tell him, Sally.”

Her lip poked out. “I didn’t do anything that awful. I just detoured to get some food before I went over to be with the other subs.”

“I see.” Testing her limits, was she? Was this just a normal response of someone independent to getting orders—or was there a need he and Vance weren’t meeting and she was acting out to get their attention? The imp wasn’t easy to read sometimes; she kept a lot buried deep. From the sulky set to her mouth, she wasn’t going to share right now.

But maybe they could get her to a place where her reticence would be set aside. He started to speak before realizing something else. Vance wouldn’t have collared her for just straying. “How did that work out for you?”

A flush crept up her face, and she dropped her gaze.

Vance said, “Some Doms weren’t happy that she’d faked her orgasms. And the word that she isn’t a trainee hasn’t gotten around.”

“Uncomfortable situation, eh, pet?”

Without looking up, she nodded, all defiance gone.

And his heart ached for her. She might have dug her own hole, but— “Sally, you took your punishment. As far as Vance and I—and other experienced Doms—are concerned, your slate is clean. A good Dom won’t throw past mistakes in your face.”

Her gaze lifted, her eyes a liquid brown. “Thank you, Sir.”

“No thanks needed.” He glanced at the cross. “We’re planning to play with you a bit. I have a craving to dispense a flogging. Vance will warm you up and decide on your restraints.”

Vance smiled and turned her around. “Hold still now.” He slipped her top off, his eyes lighting as her breasts were exposed.

Galen shook his head and leaned against the wall, facing her, and settled in to watch his partner play. He’d seen the clothespins case in the toy bag. Galen might like impact toys, but Vance definitely enjoyed teasing breasts.

After Vance had savored Sally’s breasts for a while, he started placing the clothespins, taking a pinch of skin several inches from the nipple and putting the clothespin on, then moving down an inch to set another one. By the time he finished, Sally had a circle of clothespins on each breast.

Brave pet, she’d only whimpered once and suffered through the rest. She looked a little glassy-eyed now, but not in subspace. Galen planned to get her there…eventually.

Vance unzipped her short leather skirt and yanked it off her hips. Sally’s eyes widened at the move, and Galen grinned. Apparently she expected that kind of aggression from him, not Vance. Surprise.

“Open your legs,” Vance ordered her. He stepped behind and reached around her hips. His fingers opened her labia, exposing her to Galen’s sight. “She feels wet and swollen. What do you think?”

He thought her flush now included embarrassment as well as arousal. Experienced submissives were used to being naked…it was fun to give them back that exposed feeling. And he loved keeping Sally off balance. As he studied her silently, her flush increased.