Crime and Punishment 4: Burning Submission (24 page)

Nathan walked around to the front of Connelly and softly kissed her on the mouth. Connelly sighed as Nathan pulled away, opening her gaze briefly to stare up at him with a dreamy expression Jennifer had no doubt had been on her own face more than once when staring at Josh.

She felt like she was invading their privacy, but at the same time, she couldn’t tear her gaze away.

Nathan set the flogger aside and reached for the whip. He unrolled it slowly as he paced off several feet behind Connelly before tuning to face her. He flicked the whip twice, hitting the floor on either side of his sub, who never once flinched.

The third flick hit Connelly on the hip, leaving a red line across her toned behind. Jennifer flinched. Connelly gasped and lifted to her toes but otherwise showed no sign of discomfort.

Nathan continued, moving to different areas of her body—her back, her legs, even her arms. Jennifer watched in fascination and growing desire. Connelly’s moans rose as the flicks of the whip became harder. Just when Jennifer thought Connelly might actually come, Nathan would back off, making the hits softer.

“How does he do that?” Jennifer murmured.

Josh stood behind her and feathered the backs of his fingers down both her arms, making her skin prickle with goose bumps.

“Lots of practice,” Josh replied as he nuzzled her neck just below her ear.

“How does he practice?” she asked a bit breathlessly.

“Paper.”

“Paper?”

“He tapes it to the wall and practices flicking the whip until he can hit the paper without tearing it.”

Josh again nuzzled her neck. His whiskers scratched her flesh, making her shiver. She imagined what that would feel like on the inside of her thigh and almost forgot what it was they’d been talking about.

“That must’ve taken him a while to learn,” she murmured as she began to get lost in the feel of Josh’s hands still stroking her hip and the sounds filling the room around her.

Several couples had already engaged in sex. Their moans and grunts mingled with Connelly’s, filling the room and making Jennifer all the hotter.

“Is it normally like this?” she asked, struggling to keep her composure.

“Some scenes really turn people on. By the time he gets around to actually fucking her, just about the whole room will be going at it.”

“Then what? Does everyone just lie around and smoke cigarettes?”

Josh laughed. “It gets a little quiet after, but it doesn’t take long for it to liven back up.”

Josh took her hand in his and pulled her to a darkened corner, away from the crowd. Positioned slightly kitty-corner, there stood a black iron X-shaped device a good foot taller than herself. At the bottom and top of each leg of the X, there were restraints made of soft leather, which did nothing to lessen the menacing look of the device. It might be comfortable, but she would still be immobile.

Josh grabbed her shoulders and turned her so her back was to the cold iron.

“What are you doing?” she asked warily.

“Whatever I want,” he replied.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Jennifer swallowed as Josh grabbed the spaghetti straps of her sheath and tugged them down her arms. His fingers grazed her flesh, making her shiver from the soft, sensual contact.

“I thought since this is your first time here, you would feel more comfortable not being the center of attention,” Josh murmured, his gaze following the soft material as it fell to the floor.

She stood naked in the corner, exposed to any who wanted to look, but strangely, she didn’t care. Her attention remained completely on Josh. The fire in his eyes blazed as he stared at her.

This was what she’d been waiting for all day. To finally experience Josh as a true Dom. Not that he hadn’t been dominant all the times before, but now she could see what he was really like, how being restrained would really feel, and just how adventurous she could be.

If things didn’t work out and she had to run again or Josh decided to return to the agency, then this would be her last chance. She wasn’t going to beg him to stay. She wasn’t going to cry and scream that she loved him, or that he should give them a shot.

He deserved better than a life on the run. He deserved a woman he could take out to dinner without the fear of being discovered. He’d protected her, gotten her to Nathan, who might’ve found her a way to be safe forever, and she would always be grateful. She would probably always love him.

He locked his gaze with hers as he gently brushed the backs of his fingers over her nipples. They beaded almost painfully, and her breasts swelled, anxious for his touch.

He turned his hands and gave her nipples a sharp pinch. She sucked in a breath, shocked at the burning need that traveled straight to her core.

“You’re going to look incredible all tied up,” Josh murmured. “Completely at my mercy.”

Who was he kidding? She was completely at his mercy even without the restraints. She couldn’t tell him no if her life depended on it. Would she ever meet another man like him? Did she even want to?

He cupped both her breasts and gave them a firm squeeze. Jennifer moaned and arched her back, wanting more, needing more with every breath she took. The sounds of the club faded away as she surrendered to Josh’s touch.

Holding on to her breasts, he pushed against her, forcing her feet to move back. When her back bumped against the cold iron of the cross, she gasped.

“That’s cold,” she whispered.

“It won’t be for long,” he replied, his grin sinfully wicked. “Spread your feet, sweetheart.”

Jennifer glanced down and lined her ankles up with the bottom of the X. Josh squatted before her and wrapped the padded leather restraints around her ankles. Not tight enough to hurt, but enough that she couldn’t move.

She leaned back against the cross point, her back now used to the cold of the iron. Josh stood and grabbed one of her wrists and lifted it over her head. He secured the leather before moving to the other hand. Jennifer tugged, and her heart skipped a beat as anxiety worked its way up her spine. Her legs were wide, her pussy exposed to the cool air of the room. Her breasts were lifted and tight. She couldn’t move to cover herself, to shield her body from the glances she noticed being thrown her way.

“Josh,” she whined, almost in a panic.

The reality was so much more intense than the fantasy. Josh shifted in front of her face, blocking her view of the club floor. He cupped her cheeks. His warm hands on her skin were like a lifeline, calming her instantly.

“Shh,” he whispered. “Do you trust me, Jenn?”

She licked her lips briefly before answering. “Surprisingly, yes.”

His lips tilted up on one side. “Good. Do you remember your safe words?”

She nodded as much as his hands on her face would allow.

“Let me hear them.”

“‘Yellow’ if I want you to slow down. ‘Red’ to stop.”

“Good girl. Do you want to use one?”

“Now?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She licked her lips again, marveling at how dry they felt at the moment. “No. I don’t want to use one. I’ll be okay. It’s just…the strangers staring at me freaked me out for a second.”

“They look because they think you’re beautiful, Jenn,” he murmured. “Remember that.”

“Do you think I’m beautiful?” she whispered.

Josh smiled and let his fingers trail down the side of her neck and over her collarbone. “Very much so,” he replied as he leaned forward and licked over one of her nipples.

Jennifer shuddered at the feel of his teeth as they scraped over the tiny bud. He moved to the other nipple, giving it equal attention and sending her senses skyrocketing through the roof.

When he moved his mouth away, Jennifer moaned, “Don’t stop. Please.”

“I move at my speed. Not yours,” he replied, his tone dripping with wicked amusement.

Jennifer fisted her hands. She dug her nails into her palms as she tried to arch toward his mouth but failed. His hands and mouth moved lower, down the center of her stomach, coming to a stop just above her mound.

She held her breath and then gasped out a strangled cry as he avoided her pussy and feathered his hands down her thighs.

Well, he certainly had torture down pat. He’d hardly touched her, and she was already so hot for him she could barely breathe. She glanced toward the club floor and saw Nathan had untied Connelly. He had her bent over a leather-topped table, her back and ass covered in pink welts. He made a sensual game of kissing each welt before applying a clear cream.

Josh slapped her thigh, making her jerk in surprise. “Eyes on me, Jenn. Your attention is always on your master.”

“Yes, Master,” she sighed, shocked at how turned on she sounded.

He kissed the sensitive spot just above her mound, and her hips jerked outward. He slid his fingers between her legs and gently stroked her slick labia. Her head fell back against the iron as a long, frustrated moan escaped her lips.

He separated her labia and teased her opening, giving her just a taste of what she wanted. Jennifer bit her lip and shifted slightly, trying to work her pussy against his hand.

“Impatient little minx, aren’t you?” Josh purred. “Is this what you wanted?”

He pushed two fingers deep into her pussy. Jennifer groaned loudly, not caring if anyone heard her. “Oh, yes, Master.”

Josh stood and pulled his fingers from her channel. Jennifer whined at the loss and the growing hunger to feel his massive cock inside her, stretching her walls.

She opened her eyes and watched in fascination as he slid his fingers into his mouth and licked her cream from them.

He leaned in close and whispered, “Very nice. I plan on feasting on this pretty pussy soon, but first, I have other plans.”

Jennifer practically swooned at the deep, dirty tone of his voice. She loved it when he talked like that…when he got rough and told her what to do. She especially liked it when he’d bent her over the couch and entered her hard and deep. Her pussy clenched at the memory.

Josh turned and rummaged through a few things littering the top of a nearby table. She wanted to see what he grabbed, but his back was to her. His wide, strong back.

A scream of pleasure caught her attention, and she glanced out across the club floor. A few feet away, Nathan had Connelly bent forward over a bench and was entering her from behind. He fisted his fingers in her hair, tugging her head back as he pummeled her body roughly, over and over.

Jennifer’s nipples tingled and hardened at the image. That was how Josh had taken her that night. Forceful and rough. He’d pounded into her, giving her no choice but to come.

She turned her gaze back to Josh, anxious to know what he had planned for her. Perhaps the unknown was what had her so hot, so ready to feel him inside her.

Josh spun and walked toward her slowly, increasing the anticipation. He held something in his hand, something metal and small. The light caught on the jewels that decorated the tip, and she frowned. Pretty could be very deceiving.

“What is that?” she asked.

“They’re nipple clamps,” he replied as he stroked the backs of his fingers over her nipple, making it bead into a hard knot.

He placed the clamp directly in front of it. Jennifer gasped and tried to lower her hand to protect the sensitive peak, but couldn’t move. Her heart skipped a beat, and she winced in trepidation.

“Josh, wait,” she whispered.

“No.”

He closed the clamp over her nipple, watching her face closely as the metal object squeezed the small bud painfully. Jennifer clenched her teeth as heat spread through her breasts.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Josh said. “Breathe.”

She drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. The pain ebbed, morphing into a different kind of sensation. One not so painful but…pleasurable.

He brushed his fingers over her other nipple. She bit her lip to keep from moaning so loud the entire room would turn to look. He placed the clamp over it, and she gasped as, this time, the burn traveled straight to her womb.

“Now that is sexy,” Josh murmured as he flicked the jewel hanging from the tip.

It swung back and forth, tugging relentlessly at her nipple. She sucked in a breath and glared. “I didn’t think you were a sadist.”

Josh laughed. “Oh, sweetheart. I can assure you, this is not sadism. My job is to push your boundaries and your limits. To see how far you can go and how much you can take. Judging by the flush of your skin and the way your pupils are dilating, I’d say we’re nowhere near your limits yet. Just remember,” he added as he slowly feathered the backs of his fingers down her side and over her hip. “You have safe words if I go beyond your comfort level.”

He stepped closer, and Jennifer’s limbs became like Jell-O. “It’s all about trust, Jenn. You have to trust me, to know that I would never truly hurt you. I’m only here to give you pleasure.” He pushed his hand between her legs and cupped her throbbing pussy. She whimpered and jerked her hips against his touch. “As much pleasure as you can stand. And then maybe just a bit more.”

He slid one finger between her labia and slowly circled her opening, teasing her mercilessly. “But that pleasure will come only when I tell you. You’ll hold off until I say you can come.”

“But…”

She had no idea if she could hold off. She was so close all it would take was one swipe of his finger over her clit for her to explode. It wasn’t fair to ask this of her.

“That’s not negotiable, Jenn,” he said.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Josh watched the emotions flick across her face. Shock, anger, frustration, and finally surrender. He circled his finger around her wet pussy, smearing the cream, and watched as her lids slowly lowered and the blush covering her cheeks deepened.

She was so slick and ready for him. He remembered how tight she was, how well he fit inside her. His cock hardened as he let his gaze wander down her splayed limbs and decorated breasts. She looked incredible tied up, all his and at his mercy, willing to let him do whatever he chose.

He’d give anything if their situation could be different—if he could be different.

He pulled his fingers away, and she moaned her disapproval. Josh’s lips twitched slightly at the sexy sound. Making her come would be easy. Keeping her from it would be the hard part, but then that was what he loved doing. Torturing them, bringing them closer and closer to release until they begged for it. He loved watching them explode, screaming as their release rushed through them.