Michele Zurlo (26 page)

He wanted to give her alternatives, let her know she wasn’t alone. She would never be alone.

Perhaps if she did buy a share of Elysium, she could quit her job and focus on this. Co-owning it with four dominant people would make sure she didn’t do more than her share. Ellen was just as type-A. There was no way she’d let Sabrina run the show. Alexei and Stefano had vast resources at their disposal. Sophia was much more laid back, but she also was the one most attuned to the nuances of Sabrina’s moods. He’d sent his lovely wife to Sophia for a session more times than he could count.

“We need to think about souvenirs for Rose and Ethan. Maybe we should do some shopping today.”

Sabrina’s voice broke into his thoughts. He hadn’t even thought about purchasing keepsakes for the kids. They hadn’t checked out the shops, but they probably should if she was going to seriously consider an investment in this place.

He nodded. “We have some time. I didn’t plan an excursion today. I wanted to see the Fields of Punishment.”

It had been awhile since he’d been to the island. He and Ryan had come here on a dare in college. Ellen had goaded them, challenging their collective manhood. Both were studying to be Doms, and Ryan’s mad crush on Ellen was still a secret.

When they’d returned, Ellen had been shocked to find they’d gone at all. She’d pressed her lips together until they were white, but all her anger had been directed at Ryan. Within two days, she had him on his knees calling her “Mistress.” Jonas had been shocked at the time, but looking back, he could see all the signs he had missed.

He didn’t want to miss those signs in Sabrina. She knew he’d visited here years ago with Ryan. She’d refrained from asking questions about his experiences, and for that he was grateful. He’d learned a lot from watching the Doms and Dommes at the Fields of Punishment. Back then, there had been a few teaching demonstrations. They hadn’t been in the firelight and sexually charged like the one Heather had roped him into doing on the beach. There had been nothing romantic about them. To his way of thinking, that’s the way a responsible instructor would run a demonstration. If the onlookers were too caught up in the moment, they would miss valuable information.

Damn. If he didn’t watch it, he’d talk himself into teaching more than English and Brit Lit classes.

He looked for Sabrina’s reaction to his plan, but she seemed to have none. She continued eating her lunch. He reached across the inches separating them and closed his hand around hers. “Honey, what are you thinking about?”

She lifted her gaze, looking everywhere else before she landed on him. “I think Lex and Stef are determined to buy this for Samantha. Only I can’t imagine her running anything. She’s a wonderful person, Jonas, but she can be a little flighty and she has zero business experience.”

He wanted to be offended that she’d labeled his sister as an airhead, but he wasn’t. Sam could run any business if she tried, but he couldn’t see her wanting to try. Her life with Lex and Stef allowed her to concentrate on her art. Jonas couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen his sister so continually and blissfully happy.

“They’re not clueless. They’ll have people run it for her.” He gave Sabrina a reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah,” she said dryly. “Ellen, Sophia, and me.”

“Drew has built an empire from his cooking.” He meant to be helpful, but she only frowned. “Ryan and I have minors in business.”

“I know. But Lex and Stef think they know everything about everything. I can stand having them as stepbrothers because my mom is finally happy. I can stand having them as brothers-in-law because they’re good for your sister. I’m not sure I can work with them.”

Jonas threw his wrench into the gears. “I’m not sure you have the time to take on something else. You might want to consider what you’re willing to give up.”

The shock for which he was waiting never came. He’d never said anything to her about the way she tore herself into pieces trying to have it all. She set her fork on the edge of her empty plate, and when she spoke, he had to strain to hear her. “I know.”

“You don’t have to think about this until you get home. See what kind of information Lex and Stef turn up, talk to Ellen and Sophia. I’m not at all sure whether or not this is something I want you or us taking on.”

His assessment seemed to comfort her. She smiled. “Shopping, and then the Fields of Punishment. I’m going to have to brush up on Greek mythology, I think. I don’t remember those.”

“It’s part of the Underworld,” he said. “Elysium is where exceptional souls get to spend eternity. They have to die as heroes three times to get there. The Fields of Punishment are where those who have been bad are sent to suffer eternal torment, a kind of Tartarus, if you will. It’s the perfect place for masochists and sadists.”

She nailed him with a worried look. “So it’s like an outdoor dungeon?”

“From what I remember.”

“And you just want to take a look at it?”

He thought they might do more than look, but he didn’t have definite plans. If there was something that caught her attention more than other things, he might have her try it. “That’s the plan. It’s been twenty years. I don’t know if they have anything you’ll like.”

She pressed her lips together, and he recognized that she was trying to hold in laughter.

“You’re allowed to laugh.”

Her smile grew and she shook her head. “I’m not into torture, you know. I can’t think there would be anything there I’d like. Isn’t that the point of the place, though, to punish naughty subs and slaves?”

Releasing her hand, he pushed back a lock of her hair. “You know that not every sadist or masochist is into having D/s relationships, right? Think about you and Sophia.”

Sabrina drew back a little. They’d never discussed what went on when she had a session with Sophia. He treated it no differently than if she’d gone for a professional massage. “Sophia is just a friend. She wouldn’t think of dominating me, but she does Domme for other people.”

“Exactly. She flogs or whips or canes you, and then you go out to lunch. You’ll find lots of that in the Fields of Punishment. Being submissive isn’t for everyone.”

He couldn’t read the emotion in her chocolate eyes, and that unnerved him a little. Was that relief or upset or indifference?

She licked her lips. “I bet there’s at least a St. Andrew’s cross and a spanking bench. I like those.”

He exhaled with relief.

Later, after they’d discovered the gift shops were all closed, he led her toward the Fields of Punishment. Things didn’t look quite right there, either. Most of the stations were abandoned and marked off limits.

Sabrina looked around. Disappointment marred her chin with a frown. “It looks like Mistress Hera has had her staff meetings. I guess we were lucky to find an open restaurant. Good thing we’re leaving in the morning.”

He heaved a sigh. He’d wanted to show her the place in action. “It looks like they haven’t done much to it. It had six stations when I was here before. I see eight.”

Some of the stations were exactly the same. The single cross had turned into twin crosses, set up back to back so that someone being whipped could watch someone else receiving similar treatment. Jonas wasn’t sure he liked that. The submissive’s attention should be on her Master and what he was doing to her.

Sabrina must have thought the same thing. “I would want a curtain between them. Even if it’s just a tree or a really tall bush, I think the areas should be separated.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Or turn them so that they’re parallel. Voyeurs would like to see the masochist’s face. Sometimes that’s the best part.”

A colorful bird landed on top of the nearest cross. It called a few times before flying away. Sabrina watched it arc across the clear sky. Her gaze came to rest on an object a little way down the path. “What’s that?”

It was a circular object about six feet across. It had four beams radiating from the center. Each was sturdy enough to hold a person. Unlike the St. Andrews cross, it could be rotated into different positions. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was also mounted on a hydraulic lift that would tilt it back or lay it down. “That’s a Catherine wheel. It’s just like a St. Andrew’s cross, only it moves.”

Sabrina stepped inside the area roped off to keep spectators at a safe and reasonable distance. She stopped in front of it and looked up at the smooth wood. “You could turn someone until they were hanging upside down.”

“You could, if you knew what you were doing.” Equipment like this should not come standard anywhere. “Leaving someone upside down for too long can cause all sorts of problems. I’ve seen people vomit on these things.”

She looked it up and down, and then she peeked at the lift in the base. “Does it go in circles? That would be horrible. Not sexy at all.”

Jonas shook his head. “No, not sexy. I know there’s better equipment out there than this. I’ve seen some pretty fantastic stuff.” He looked around at the open sky. “Of course it wouldn’t hold up outside like this. I think these stations need canopies or covers or something.”

“If they like those rides at amusement parks that spin, they’d probably get off on that.” She frowned. “Still, I wouldn’t want to take the chance of somebody getting sick. It’s a mood killer. A canopy, and maybe reorient it so that viewers are here by choice. Oh, and I think these all need to be farther apart. That way it’s not so distracting.”

It sounded like she was shopping for a sex resort, not like she was picking out which device she’d like to experience. He led her further down the path. A metal framework, bolted to concrete, came next. It featured a ladder-like construction and a host of O rings. Once it had been a wonderful piece of furniture. Now Jonas could see rust in some of the joints. Leaving these to the mercy of the elements bothered him.

“It looks like Mistress Hera concentrated all her energy on the food and the rooms. Perhaps this place needs a team to run it.” He didn’t mean to imply that Heather was incompetent. She likely replaced the equipment regularly. However, there were better ways to run a business, and frankly, there were better products available than these medieval-looking things.

He hated that he was starting to look at this place like a business prospect. It was supposed to be a paradise, a honeymoon, a chance to reconnect with his wife.

Draping his arm around her shoulders, he tugged her closer. It was a great position because it allowed him a great view of her breasts. “Let’s walk through Persephone’s Gardens.”

Sabrina snuggled in and didn’t argue with the change of plans. “I think I would have liked this if I’d been here with you twenty years ago.”

Jonas shook his head. Twenty years ago, he wasn’t half the man he was today, but a lot of that had to do with the woman on his arm. “Twenty years ago, it would never have occurred to me to bring you here.”

It had barely occurred to him to bring himself here, and when he’d come he’d spent the three days so overwhelmed that he hadn’t tried anything. He’d simply gawked.

Sabrina looked up at him with wide eyes. “Yeah, you’re right. I was fifteen and you were a hot and geeky college guy.”

He smacked her ass for calling him geeky, even though he knew she’d meant it as a compliment. Whenever they role-played the virgin and the call girl, she delighted in whatever dorky getup he devised. There was an art to it, he discovered, and he’d quickly learned her preferences. Glasses, for example, turned her on, as did pants that were snug in the crotch. He made sure to always incorporate those elements.

She retaliated by squeezing a handful of his rear end. “You know what we’ve never played? The geek and the cheerleader. I wonder if my mom still has my old uniform anywhere. I wonder if it still fits.”

“Mmmm.” He savored that image of her in his head. “I think I’d prefer to get you one of those slutty cheer outfits, the kind with the low cut, bare midriff, and a skirt so short I can see the bottom of your ass hanging out.” To illustrate his point, he slid his hand up her short skirt and exposed the lower portion of her ass.

“Okay, but then you have to go tech-geek. I want to see low-rise jeans that show off your hipbones, a shirt that has a witty saying about engineers, glasses, no shoes, and a few days’ worth of stubble.” She grinned wickedly, and he knew she was picturing him slouched down in a chair with some kind of electronic device in his hands. Maybe it was the remote control.

“I could have invented a new kind of vibrator, and I convinced you to come over and try it out. You might end up tied to a chair with your legs spread while I test my invention.”

She shivered. “I think we have a plan. I’ll be Cindy, the head cheerleader. You can be Alvin because I can’t think of a better name for a geek.”

“Kirk.” He immediately went to Star Trek. “I’ll make you call me ‘Captain.’”

“More like you’ll make me scream it.”

She looked like she had more to say, but a round of applause cut her short. They looked around, but other than a few couples wandering aimlessly and looking confused, they saw nobody.

“What was that?”

“Shhh. Listen.” She pointed toward a narrow path he thought led to the beach. Perhaps it was one of the excursions. Those were paid for in advance, so it was reasonable to assume those private vendors were still offering tours.

Why not see what was going on? He led her down that way. His plan to spend the afternoon at the Fields hadn’t worked out. It was time for a new plan.