Bound to be Taken (Emergence) (28 page)

“Yeah, that makes us nervous. Especially with regard to her emotional safety.” Dane paused his pacing and stared at Lori. He ran his hands through his hair until he was sure it stood on end. “But if she agrees to this, I know it’s the right thing. Don’t you, Aid?”

Aiden nodded. “Without hesitation.”

“Okay, well, I have to run. You guys know what hard work lies ahead. I suggest you take a few days to work out the details and make sure you’re both on the same page. Just don’t rush into anything uninformed. That’s all I’m saying.” Lori stood. She grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “Call me. You know I’m here for you, and for Stephanie should she agree to meet with me.” She smiled and left. The small snick of the door rang in the silence as Dane stared at his partner. They had a lot to discuss, but Dane was growing increasingly certain this was meant to be.

At ten after five, Stephanie entered the apartment on the fifteenth floor. Hell, she hadn’t even been to her own place since yesterday morning. She’d even had sufficient makeup in her purse for the office today.

Why hadn’t she stopped by there now? There was no reason. She didn’t have animals, only a few plants, and…no one had told her she could. They hadn’t told her she couldn’t either, but the instructions to return to their place and nap in their bed weren’t inclusive of other stops. She was certain.

When Dane had handed her a key this morning, he’d also programmed their numbers into her phone and she’d given them hers. She was extremely grateful neither of them had called during the day. The last thing she’d needed was some type of phone sex to put her behind. As it was, she barely finished everything by five.

The good news was she had finished. All the files of clients that needed behind-the-scenes attention this week were taken care of. Now all she had to do was impress the bosses tomorrow with her ability to let loose and the promotion was hers, she hoped. She shivered at her memory of Jack this afternoon. She’d fought against letting that weird incident consume her thoughts for the past several hours. Surely the man had not intentionally stroked her nipple.

She concentrated on the party Saturday instead. Who was going to attend with her? She certainly couldn’t take both men.

Her cell buzzed and she quickly extricated it from her purse and glanced at the screen. She smiled. Aiden. Figured.

“Hey,” she murmured.

“Hey, yourself. Did you make it back to the apartment all right?”

“Yep, just walked in.” She kicked off her heels and picked them up.

“Are you hungry?”

“Nope. I ate a late lunch. I’m just exhausted.”

“Okay, well, a nap was in the plans. Go get undressed and climb in bed. I’ll check on you in a while.”

Undressed?

“Steph, you still there?”

“Yes.” Her voice sounded breathy as she padded down the hall, barefoot, her heels dangling from one finger.

“Is there a problem? You’re awfully quiet.”

“No.”
Except you keep bossing me around even when there’s no need. I can handle what I wear to sleep.

“You’re second guessing yourself. I can tell. I’m not asking you to clean the toilet with your toothbrush. Just take off everything except your thong and climb under the covers. Okay?”

“Yes, Sir.” It seemed necessary to assume the role.

He hung up. Oh Lord. Had she pissed him off? What was a pissed-off Aiden like? She shivered. She
so
didn’t want to know.

Back in the bedroom she found the place totally cleaned up. Of course the men were there most of the morning, but she was still impressed by their tidiness. The bed was made. Not a thing on the floor.

She headed straight for the bench at the foot of the bed and dropped her shoes and purse on it. Next, she took off her skirt, the sweater and the sexy bra. Her boobs were actually relieved to be let loose of the confines of such a bra. Obviously she’d never worn anything that fit her quite right in the past, because that tiny scrap of fabric somehow managed to keep her breasts high and firm all day long.

Wearing nothing but the leather thong, she climbed onto the bed and snuggled down under the covers. Even with the stressful evening looming ahead of her, she was so damn tired she fell asleep instantly.

A warm hand caressed her thigh. She moaned at the contact.

Warm breath tickled her ear. “Steph…” A whisper, so quiet.

She opened one eye. Dane. She smiled and turned toward him from her curled position on her side.

“What time is it?”

“Five thirty.” He kissed her cheek, pressing a palm into her stomach, rubbing the dip there.

She’d been asleep only about twenty minutes. She needed more rest.

But he smelled so good and she automatically got wet and came awake when he rubbed her belly, not touching her breasts or reaching low enough to rub her clit. However, his splayed hand held her on her back, definitively.

“We just came to check on you. You okay?”

“Yes.” She glanced around. Where was Aiden?

“We need to work a few more hours, but we wanted to talk to you before the evening rush really got going at the restaurant.” His lips trailed to her neck and she tipped her head to give him better access. She already wanted him. She squirmed beneath his hand.
Please reach lower.
Her clit pulsed under the tight swatch of leather.

A tiny flicking noise and she squinted into a sudden ray of light. Aiden stood next to the bed, his hand on the lamp.

A second later, he was on her other side. Dane pulled the comforter away from her body. “Spread your legs, babe.”

Her exposure overwhelmed her. It happened so fast. No time to think. She spread her legs though. Probably not as far as he liked, but she’d been asleep ten seconds ago. It was hard to transition that quickly. Dane climbed between her legs. “You have issues with your legs, don’t you?”

Her sleepiness vanished in a heartbeat. They had her attention. She stared at him.
Issues?

“It’s so hard for you to learn to keep them open. It’s a challenge for you to keep your knees spread.” His tone was soothing, but the words didn’t match. They were menacing.

“Yes, Sir.”

“We need you to be more alert, pay attention, concentrate on your tasks. Have we asked too much of you?”

That question was loaded. “No, Sir.” She shivered. He glanced down her body and back up. Her nudity made her self-conscious.

“Good. I didn’t think so. You know we have to punish you for several infractions this morning, right?” His gaze penetrated deep. His expression so serious.

She gulped.

“This morning we discussed total submission for the day. You’ve been at work most of the day. We’re going to impose some new ideas for the next several hours. A dabble of several aspects of what D/s is like. You’ll be expected to comply.”

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered breathily. What would be asked of her now? How much could she endure?

Dane took her wrists in both hands and lifted them over her head. She gripped one palm with the other. “Leave your hands here while we talk to you. I like the way your tits raise on your chest.” He tapped her hands to enforce his words. “We’ll start with punishments. Not that you did anything severe, but rather to give you an idea of what punishments are like. We’re going to be harsh, so you get the full picture.” Dane paused, staring at her as though waiting for her full attention. As if she wasn’t completely mesmerized by his intensity.

“Now, tell me what you’re being punished for.”

She swallowed and tried to think.
Punished right now?
She glanced at Aiden and then back at Dane. “I didn’t spread my legs enough on the vanity this morning.”

“What else?” Dane fired the question before she could think.

Fuck. Her nipples pebbled under his gaze as it wandered down and then back up.
This morning…
“I forgot to lift my skirt at the kitchen stool.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I also didn’t spread my legs that time.”
Oh, fuck.
She glanced down. Her pussy clenched and the metal balls moved. She had to fight not to moan. She didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing how aroused she was.

“Look at me.” Dane spoke again.

She lifted her gaze. Then she turned to Aiden.

“I’m speaking to you. You’ll look at
me
,” Dane said.

She whipped her head back to center. He was so close to her, leaning into her space from between her spread legs.

“When I’m talking to you directly in conversation, asking you to speak freely, I intend for you to look me in the eye. Don’t worry about anything else.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I know this is hard for you. It’s always difficult to point out our misdemeanors, but when you are disobedient, you will be punished. I’ve made that clear, have I not?”

“Yes, Sir.” God, her nipples ached. Cool air in the room breezed across her chest.

“What else?”

Her body shook. She gulped. She couldn’t think.

“I’m going to help you this time. Give you some reminders, because I know you weren’t prepared for the inquisition, and I didn’t specifically tell you to keep track, but in the future, you’ll be expected to list all your transgressions at the end of the day. Every single incident of disobedience should be kept in a running list in your head. You will know when you have been defiant. Understood?”

She nodded and then caught herself. “Yes, Sir.” She gripped one hand with the other. Her exposure was consuming her. She could feel her breasts rising and falling with every inhale. She didn’t take her gaze off Dane. Was Aiden staring at her nipples? That thought made them tighter.

“Good girl.”

“Aiden and I will know. We will know more than you realize. Whatever violations occur will be dealt with appropriately. However, if you can’t verbalize them yourself, the punishments will be far more harsh. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.” Her voice was barely a whisper now. A spanking would be much better than this. The disappointment on Dane’s face made her want to vomit. She would do better. She promised herself tomorrow she would do better.

“You aren’t a bad person, Stephanie. Don’t get me wrong. We are so very proud of you. This is new. You’ll learn fast, I know. To ensure quick compliance, we must not be lax, however. If we give you leeway now, how will we expect you to obey in the future, correct?”

“Yes, Sir.” She had to force her gaze to remain on his face.

“Now let me help. Hesitation is a no-no. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Did you hesitate this morning at any point?”

Probably about a dozen times.
“Yes, I did, Sir.”

“Will you hesitate tomorrow?”

“I will try not to, Sir.”

“What if I were to hesitate when you were about to orgasm? How would that make you feel?”

“Let down.”

“How do you think we feel when you hesitate to follow a direct order?”

“Let down, Sir.”

“Are we clear on that issue?”

OhGodohGod.
Why did he make so much sense?
I should not feel turned on by this. He’s controlling and manipulating me. Am I wrong to find myself craving more?

“Yes, we are clear, Sir.”

“Good. And I like how you are repeating back what I say. Tells me you are listening and you understand.

“Now, let’s move to your tendency to question our judgment. Several times you denied us with a direct no or a shake of your head. Did you not?”

“I did, Sir. I’m sorry.”
This is so…

“I’m pleased you’re willing to apologize, but that doesn’t change the misbehavior, does it?”

“No, Sir.”

“Stephanie, when you are in a submissive role, we are the Doms. You will not question our judgment on anything.”

She swallowed. The fire ball in her stomach built to a new crescendo. She shouldn’t find this so arousing. She should be humiliated. Instead, she was aroused. Why was she letting him treat her this way? And enjoying it? Craving it?

“So you directly asked us not to put ointment on your pussy, did you not?”

“I did, Sir,” she muttered. Her gaze lowered.

“Look at me, Steph,” he demanded.

She whipped her gaze back up.

“I’m doing this for your own good. I know you have a lot of thoughts in your mind right now. That’s why we’re having this chat. You’re probably wondering why on earth you would choose to willingly submit to me and to Aiden. That’s a normal response. If you weren’t hesitant and defiant, I would be concerned. It’s perfectly natural and I want you to have doubts right now.

“Society as a whole doesn’t approve of this sort of arrangement. The social stigma toward Dom/sub relationships has tainted you. Hell, Aiden and I were skeptical too when we first started studying the life. All I can ask is that you try to follow your body’s response instead of what you think society would dictate that you should feel. If you let go of what social norms consider dirty and unacceptable, I think you’ll be able to dig deeper into your own self and find out society is sometimes wrong.