Capturing Callie (19 page)

During dinner they had talked about all the crazy times they’d shared while building the club and getting members vetted. Their security clearance process alone rivaled most government positions, and they’d laughed about the reactions of various military officers, many with high-security clearance levels, who had not been cleared for Club Isola. They’d made it clear that their background checks were more current, and they’d teased Ian that he should offer to show the Joint Chiefs of Staff their reports—for a price, of course.

She’d been lost in thought and hadn’t realized she and Ian were standing outside the open door of his personal playroom. Jace’s huge frame completely filled the doorway, blocking her view, and obviously the others had already entered. Ian was watching her…again. “Welcome back, pet. Your capacity for mental road trips is astonishing sometimes. Someday I going to demand a detailed replay, but tonight I’m more interested in getting to other things.” He smiled down at her, easing some of the tension she suddenly felt racing through her system. “There are rules that are strictly enforced as soon as you cross the threshold of this room, love. These rules are nonnegotiable, so best you listen closely.” He waited for her nod before continuing.

“You may never enter this room unless you are naked, you will always strip in this hallway and leave your clothing neatly folded on this table.” He pointed to a narrow table holding a small lamp near the door. “I can assure you, when you and I are home alone, you will always be naked.” His grin was infectious, and she felt herself smile in return despite the elephants on roller skates doing pirouettes in her stomach. “And the moment you walk through that door, you will address each of the Dominants in the room with respect and by their proper titles. You will not speak unless you are asked a direct question, and you will follow each order immediately—hesitation will be punished—immediately and harshly. Do you have any questions, pet?” He had wrapped his hands loosely around her neck and was gently massaging the tense muscles at the base of her skull. She hadn’t even realized how tense she’d become until he pressed the tips of his fingers into the taut muscles and whispered, “Relax, love, you will do fine.” She felt her face heat and tears fill her eyes under his scrutiny. “Tell me what you are afraid of, Callie.”

She was shocked at his use of her given name because he used it so rarely. And she was sure he’d done it deliberately to get her full attention. “I’m…well, I’m afraid of disappointing you, Master.” She saw his eyes widen slightly, and then his expression softened.

“Your answer tells me more than you know, love. You will not disappoint me, I assure you. Let’s go.” And then he stepped back and she watched as his entire demeanor changed before her very eyes. He widened his stance and crossed his arms over his broad chest and said, “Strip, pet.”

Stepping over the threshold of Ian’s playroom was akin to stepping back in time and place. She sucked in a breath and knew her mouth was gapping open as she slowly took in her surroundings. The entire room looked like something right out of a Middle Ages torture chamber. The walls were rough-cut rock, and the dim light emitted from the wall sconces cast eerie shadows that danced over the gray walls and slab floors. She recognized most of the equipment she could see from her reading and her visit to Club Isola. She wasn’t sure where the other men had gone, and for some reason that kicked up her anxiety. Ian moved in front of her and tilted her chin up with one finger. “Welcome to my playroom, pet. Are you nervous?”

“Yes, sir.” Callie had tried to steady her voice, but knew it hadn’t worked.

“Do you trust me, Callie? Do you trust me to surround you with people you can trust to your last breath?” Ian’s voice was warm and seductive, but there was a thread of steel that she didn’t miss. She knew she did trust him, even though she didn’t completely understand why, it was still true. She trusted Jace, too, and she knew the other men were here because they were trusted friends of both men. She nodded her head, but he said, “No, love, you have to say the words. We must always have very clear communication.”

“I do trust you, even when I don’t understand why, I know it’s true.” She kept her gaze on his, but felt someone step up behind her. At his first touch she knew it was Jace, and his hands stroked her arms from shoulder to wrist, and he then encircled her wrists, holding her as sure as if he’d handcuffed her.

“Sweetness, your trust is a gift. I promise you it’s a gift your Master and every other man in this room with you tonight will treasure and protect forever.” She saw the approval in Ian’s eyes at his friend’s words, and she relaxed a bit.

“They are ready for us, pet. Let’s go—punishment first, then pleasure.” Ian had switched back into the Dom she’d seen on several occasions, but this time she didn’t feel so unsettled by the switch. She followed him over to what she knew was a spanking bench. She felt the shudder that worked its way down her spine, but she didn’t step away. She let him guide her so that she knelt on to the padded squares on each end of the bench and then to lean over the padded top. While Ian secured wide leather cuffs around her wrists and then clipped them into place, she felt Jace strapping her legs down also. He’d placed one band around her leg just above her knee and another over at her ankle. It went through her mind that this seemed to be a bit of overkill since she would have been stable kneeling and leaning over the bench, when suddenly she heard a small motor engage and she felt herself being rotated forward.
Well, that explains all the straps. Cracker Jacks, I’m practically standing on my head…well, in a super kinky way. And let’s just put my who-ha right up at the top all spread out for everyone to see. Yikes!

She appreciated that Ian had kept a hand on her at all times, and if she strained her neck she could see him standing beside her. He leaned down and spoke close to her ear. “Stop stretching your neck, pet. You are going to hurt yourself. Are you in pain? Do you want to use your safe word?”

“No, I—well, I just wanted to see you…to know you were close. I’m sorry.” She felt tears fill her eyes, she was disappointed in herself because she hadn’t meant to do anything wrong.

Ian leaned over and kissed her temple. “No need to apologize. Actually I’m pleased that you are looking to me as an anchor. That shows trust, pet, thank you. But now, I want you to trust that I am not leaving this room. A Dom never leaves his sub tied, it’s dangerous on many levels. But I want you to concentrate on what you are feeling, not seeing, so I’m going to put this over those beautiful violet eyes of yours.” Callie jumped as the cool silk slid over her eyes and everything went black. She felt her heart speed up and knew they were ready to begin.

She could tell by his voice Ian had stood up, but he was still close. His voice was louder and authoritative. “You have sixteen swats coming. You’ll get four from each man present. They will each be using their own personal favorite implement. As you know, I prefer to use my hand on your sweet ass. This will be more intense, so I will be monitoring your responses. What is your safe word, pet?”

“Red, Sir.”

“Good enough. We’ll begin.” She felt the air shift around her and was just starting to panic when she felt a hand touch her lower back and then trail over her ass cheeks in a firm caress.

She knew the minute he spoke it was Gage. His Texas twang soothing to her ears. “Well, darlin’, I’m not gonna draw this out because I promise you we are all anxious to get this over and done so we can enjoy the rest of our time together. I’m going to be using a wide paddle. It will bring the blood toward the surface and help you make it through what’s to come. My spanks will come fast and hard, and I will not ask you to count them, because I do believe this ole country boy can count to four without any help.” She barely had time to process his words before she heard a loud whoosh just before a loud smack and then fire lit up her ass. She screamed as much in surprise as pain. He didn’t give her any time between the blows, he hadn’t been kidding about fast and hard. When it was over she’d caught her breath and she heard him whisper, “Well done, darlin’,” as he stepped away.

She was taking deep breaths trying to calm herself down when she felt the air shift again. Then another southern accent, but this one much softer—aw, the southern charmer, Logan. “Oh, sugar, your ass is a lovely deep pink. Master Gage did a fine job of warming you up.”
Warming me up? Are you fucking kidding me? If that was a warm up I think I need to reevaluate my plan to stick around for the pleasure part of this little Dommie Dark Show.
She felt him lean down and his words were spoken directly in her ear, “Might want to take care to not speak those thoughts aloud again, sugar.” She gasped in surprise and firmly clamped her lips together. She’d heard the laughter in his voice and swore she’d heard a snort of laughter from off to the side, but she was determined to not screw up again.

When Logan moved back behind her again she felt something cool and soft moving over her hot ass cheeks. “Now, my Dom brothers each have very specific ideas about punishment techniques. But I think a Dom needs to be flexible and make sure what he uses is just right for the sub he’s working with, so I’m going to be using something that can be used for pleasure or it can give a nice bite also. I’m also going to spread my strikes out so that you don’t get too much in one spot.” Just then she felt what felt like a dozen tiny sparks of pain. The blows were fast and didn’t really hurt that much at first but by the time he’d finished the warm feeling had turned to red-hot flames. She was fairly certain you’d be able to smell her skin burning if you just tried.

She knew she was crying but didn’t care because she had earned the pain, and it felt like it was working to break loose something dark inside of her. Just as she was starting to get her breathing back under control, she heard Kalen’s voice and immediately felt like she’d been thrown a lifeline. “Angel, you are doing very well. You are making your Master very proud. He is a very fortunate man. The Universe sent him a very special gift in that little rowboat.”

She heard murmurs of agreement from the side, but it was Ian’s voice that stood out. “Yes, it did. A gift I plan to take very good care of, I assure you.” And just that quickly, all the pain suddenly faded to the back of her mind. His declaration broke through the last barrier she’d erected, and she felt herself beginning to understand the power of submission. She felt more complete than she had in years.

“Aww, sweet angel. I can see by your body’s response that your Master’s words have gone straight to your heart, just as they were supposed to. I’m going to lay four stripes across your ass with a cane. The pain will be intense, but I want you to breathe through it, let it wash over you as you would the warm waves of the ocean on a hot summer day.” She had been so entranced with his words she was totally unprepared for his first strike with the cane.

She felt the first two but then something in her mind broke, and she felt like she was floating outside her own body. It was as if she’d stepped through Alice’s looking glass and everything was the opposite of what it should be, because the pain was nothing but pure, undiluted pleasure. She felt another pair of hands touching her and thought maybe she’d been tilted back up. Then she heard words that she didn’t fully understand before she heard a sharp crack split the air. Following each loud crack there was icy, heated pleasure drawn in sharp lines diagonally down her ass. Two one direction and then two going the other way, and then she heard her Master tell her to come, and her entire world exploded into color. Someone was screaming, and she wondered if that woman was enjoying the same light show she was seeing.

Watching Callie take the last half of her punishment with grace and dignity had been a life-changing experience for Ian. He knew that Gage hadn’t hit her overly hard with the paddle, the pain she had felt was likely as much from surprise as real discomfort. And he’d had to work hard not to laugh out loud at her comments when Logan had referred to Gage’s strokes as a warm-up. But as he’d watched her under Kalen’s cane, he’d nearly stopped the scene. Thank God she’d gone immediately in to sub-space because her pain-filled scream had nearly shredded his heart.

As Jace had used the single-tail to lay four narrow strips of fire that Ian was sure she hadn’t even registered, Kalen had stepped up alongside him. “Ian, I know this was hard for you. But she needed to prove to you that she could do it or she would never have felt worthy. She really is quite exquisite, and I meant what I told her. She is a wonderful gift. Let her into your heart—let her heal whatever it is that haunts you.” Jace was the only one of his staff who knew any of the details of his past, but that didn’t mean his other friends didn’t know he was less than whole. He’d been very grateful for Kalen’s words because he’d been questioning his decision to finish the scene, and now he was able to see that it had been necessary for both of them.

Ian stepped up as the others released Callie from the bench. They had rubbed her limbs, making sure the stiffness would be minimal, and then Ian stepped up with the benzo-aloe gel Mitch had invented. The stuff was perfect for sub aftercare because it had a topical anesthetic and also soothed the burn in deeper tissues. Considering Callie’s inability to use most painkillers safely, he had decided this was the best option. They hadn’t laid her on the bed to treat her because they’d wanted to make sure she was fully cognizant before beginning the part they’d all been looking forward to.

Ian stepped in front of Callie and smoothed the sweat-dampened curls from her tear-stained face. “You did so well, love. I am honored and humbled by your trust. And now I am looking forward to playing with you in a whole new—and much more pleasurable—way. Come on, love.” Stopping next to the table they’d be using, he saw the concern in her expression despite not being able to see her eyes. “We’ve chosen this table because we’ll all have easy access to you, it raises and lowers easily, and it is spectacularly comfortable—just don’t fall asleep on us, pet.” He smiled at her relieved expression. He could tell she had wanted to speak, but had caught herself before the words had made their way out. “Since this is a reward, I’m going to let you speak unless you are specifically told not to—but, I want you to remember to keep your words respectful. We will all enjoy hearing your pleasure,
Carlin
.”