Xavier shook his head. He doubted Harmonie would change her behavior. She was more concerned with getting attention and sex than about serving another.

In contrast, Abby had an instinctive desire to please. She’d been distressed at his anger. Attention made her uncomfortable.

After double-checking the punishment scene to ensure everything was safe, he headed down to the dungeon.

Hair tangled around her face, Abby sat near the center of the room. Elbows on one chair arm, she’d curled sideways so her bare breasts were covered by her arms. Nicely modest. Her big eyes were intent on a Mistress performing cock-ball torture.

Xavier’s own balls drew up in sympathy. Testicles weren’t meant to be flattened.

Taking a position in a corner of the room, he noticed Abby’s attention had shifted to a group of older leather men with their subs kneeling properly on the floor. Why would she watch them instead of the scene?

Well, she wouldn’t be observing anything soon. Xavier reached in his pocket and flicked the remote to a low setting.

As the pantie vibrator came on, she jumped. Within seconds her spine turned rigid, and her hips squirmed nicely. She looked around but didn’t spot him in the shadows.

Although she tried to resume watching the nearby scene, her weight shifted over and over. He’d broken her concentration. Excellent. He flipped the remote off.

She relaxed into the chair with a sigh.

Then he kicked the controls back on and upped the intensity a notch.

Face flushing, she surged to her feet. With a stiff-legged gait, she moved to the next scene and pretended to watch it. After a couple of minutes, sweat sheened her skin. Good enough. With a smile he turned the remote off and headed away to make his rounds.

Upstairs the bartender pointed him toward a member who’d been drinking and tried to take his sub into a theme room. Per club rules, alcohol was for after a scene, not before. The man hadn’t known the locked I had a drink bracelet contained a device similar to those used to prevent shoplifting. After speaking with Xavier, he and his submissive decided to dance instead.

Xavier checked on Harmonie. She was still able to rise onto tiptoes for a break. Sweating and squirming but silent, she displayed more determination than he’d expected.

Back downstairs Abigail had settled down to watch Angela’s scene with her submissive, Meggie. Nice choice, since the Mistress was an expert with wax play. Deep into subspace, Meggie sighed and moaned.

A shame to distract the little fluff, but… Xavier pulled out the remote. As the lights on the remote flickered according to the setting, he selected an alternating rhythm that went well with the music.

Abby jumped to her feet, walking fast as though she could escape. She stopped a minute later, and he saw her muscles tightening as she neared an orgasm.

He turned the vibrator off and watched to see what she’d do.

She lowered her head and hugged her waist in a self-comforting movement. Huddled in on herself, she appeared more shaken than aroused, and that certainly wasn’t the point of this exercise. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms over hers.

She stiffened, trying to pull away from him. Angry and upset. Rather than releasing her, he backed to a couch and pulled her down onto his lap.

“Abby, take a breath.” He added enough edge of command to see it done. “Now lift your middle toes on your left foot up. Down.”

As she concentrated on the movement, her ability to remain rigid failed, and she sagged against him.

“That’s a good girl.”

Holding and warming her with his body heat, he waited until her color had returned. “You didn’t like the vibrator.” He made it a statement. “Why?”

“It was okay.”

“No. Think about your answer for a minute. Then make it an honest one—not one intended to pacify me.”

Startled, she looked up at him. After a pause, a dimple appeared in her cheek, reassuring him that her sense of humor had returned. She said, “In the BDSM books, I read about honesty and thought, of course you need to be truthful. I didn’t realize it was so difficult.”

For many submissives, emotional transparency was more painful than getting flogged. “Difficult for both Dom and sub.” Pleased with her, he ran his knuckles over her cheek. “I’ll go first and show you how.” He thought for a second. “I liked how you jumped, and how arousal lights up your skin and eyes. I enjoy having the power to do that right in my hand. Seeing you wiggle made me hard.”

“Oh my,” she said under her breath, and he chuckled at her appalled tone. How long had it been since a submissive made him laugh?

“Your turn, Abigail.” He gave her a question to hang her answer on. “Did the vibrator hurt you?”

Her tiny sigh at his persistence made him smile again. “Um. No. But I didn’t like the jump or surprise. Or being aroused.”

What? “You didn’t mind last week. What’s different tonight?” He thought he knew. Did she?

Silence. “Maybe because you were with me then. It felt…safer?”

And perhaps more intimate with my hands on you. “Fair enough. You should know, though, I was always close and watching you whenever the vibrator was on.”

“Oh.” The last bit of tension drained out of her body.

Yes, he’d erred, damaging some of her trust in him. Regret weighted his shoulders. Not all scenes went as desired, but since the control belonged to him, the blame for failure was his as well.

He laid his cheek on her silky hair, inhaling the light fragrance. “I’m sorry, Abby. The remote wasn’t a good choice for you. I thought it would teach you to listen to your body without putting you on display. I never intended that you should feel abandoned.”

ABANDONED. DIDN’T THAT make her sound like a five-year-old on her first day of kindergarten? Yet Abby knew he wasn’t wrong. She’d felt alone. But the way he held her close and rubbed his face in her hair was shrinking the hollow place inside her.

Discussing what had happened was oddly intimate. Unfamiliar. Sure, she’d had boyfriends, but even in bed, they preferred the wasn’t that great sex sort of discussion.

Unfortunately, with Xavier, the pendulum had swung too far in the other direction. His probing questions and intent study were intimidating.

“Well, pet, since remote play is out, I’ll have to do this up close and personal.” His chuckle had a wicked edge to it.

Arousal shot through her at the thought of receiving more personal attention, but she wasn’t here for that. Yeah, explain to him that you’re just here for the research. “Uh. There’s no need to worry about it. I mean—”

“It’s a Dominant’s prerogative to worry.” He ran a finger over her lips, and the simple touch started her on the upward path to arousal. “Since you’re right here in my lap—not far away—we might as well use this toy. I’d like to know if there’s anything else you dislike about it. No need to count, and you can come if you want.”

Before she could stop him, he’d flicked it on again. Her protest came out in a low “Nooo” as the vibrations hammered lightly against her clit. The sensitive ball of nerves, already teased, flared to life and tightened.

When a tiny moan escaped her, the laugh lines bracketing his mouth deepened. “What do you think of this vibrator? Sales reps for sex-toy companies are always asking me for feedback.”

Her clit hardened, thickened. A coil of pressure built inside her, and she tried to ignore it, even as her thoughts went foggy.

“You’re still fighting what you feel, pet. Perhaps my hands need to be on you.” His deep voice said words, and she heard them, but they didn’t make sense.

He slid his right hand under her skirt and skimmed it up her bare thigh.

“No. Don’t.” She struggled, pushing at his arm. He’d touch her in front of everyone?

“Abby, you did a scene with me last week.”

“I wasn’t thinking then.”

“Ah. Of course. But you know, I don’t want you to think.” To her relief he removed his hand—and captured her wrist. Then the other.

His left arm remained curved under her shoulders, and he pushed both her wrists into that hand, trapping her arms off to one side. “Lucky for you, I like holding down unwilling submissives.” To her horror, he picked up the remote, upped the setting on the vibe, then put his right hand back under her skirt.

As harder vibrations hammered against her clit, need washed over her. “Di te perdant!”

He laughed. “The gods won’t destroy me for playing with a pretty little fluff.”

Great. His fancy education had included Latin. The vibrator hummed, increased, then stopped. Hummed, increased, stopped. Cycling up and slowing before she could come. She inched closer to a climax, shuddering with the feeling of inevitability.

But she couldn’t get there. She was stuck. Teetering between No, I won’t come and More.

He pulled her closer to him, and she pushed her forehead against his chest, panting for air. Just come, she told herself. Only, her brain wouldn’t stop, and her body wouldn’t obey.

She felt him kiss the top of her head. “Thinking again, Abby? Look at me now.” His grip on her wrists tightened.

She looked up.

“Do you realize I can do anything with you, touch you anywhere…and you can’t get away?” The ominous glint in his eyes demanded that she try.

She futilely struggled and couldn’t escape. Couldn’t even make him exert himself. The knowledge shook her, cracked the container holding her thoughts, and they drained away.