Roses and Chains (5 page)

pulling things out and examining them. His broad shoulders blocked them all from

Delia’s view.

“You’re here to answer questions, right?”

“Yes, Sir. Dru said you were relatively new to the lifestyle.”

“Cool.” He had opened another drawer, and now Delia could see him pointing to

something. “So what the hell is
that
?”

“Oh, nice choice, Sir,” Mara replied instantly. “That’s a—”

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Delphine Dryden

She turned and looked at Delia, then up at Daniel. And then resumed her

explanation in a low murmur, so Delia could only catch a word here and there.

“
Murmur murmur murmer
very, very safe. Pyrex, actually.
Murmur murmur
.”

“
Murmur murmur murmer
too hot?”

“Not if you’re careful. But if you’re anxious, you could always go the other way

with it.” Mara pointed across the room to the largest of the tables, where a full pitcher of ice water sat sweating on a tray next to an even larger pitcher of pale salmon roses.

“Oh, I like that idea. Okay, we’ll definitely try that out. What about
this
?”

“You might want to save that for a special occasion.”

“I’ll take your word for it. So I wonder where all the stuff with batteries and wires is?”

Mara opened the third drawer, and Delia heard her inhale sharply.

“Whoa.”

“I know what that is,” said Daniel, pointing. “And that thing there. I
think
I know what that is, but I have no idea why it would be here. And I’m not ashamed to admit

the rest of it just looks scary as hell.”

Mara laughed, nodding her head. “Yeah, there’s stuff here even
I
don’t know what it is. I think I saw somebody use one of
those
in a porno once, and you’re right, it is scary as hell. But you know how to use
that
, right?”

“Yep.” He sounded very pleased with himself. “I’ve seen people use that in a whole

lot of pornos. That’s a classic.”

Delia was about to explode. And she knew Daniel was probably well aware of that.

“Looks like this last drawer is all whips and stuff.”

“Hey, these cute little bottles up here are lubes. Look, they’re labeled and

everything.” The pixie opened a bottle and took a cautious sniff. “I love this room.”

Delia whimpered; she couldn’t help it. Not only was she dying to see the

contraband, they were standing over there talking as though they’d forgotten she

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Roses and Chains

existed. She felt like yelling, “Hello, horny person over here. Sex toys are for sharing, you know.”

But instead she just whimpered, and earned a steely glare complete with raised

eyebrow from Daniel. It made her wet.

Or rather, wetter.

As did the look Mara shot her way, clearly taking in all the exposed parts and

enjoying everything she saw. It was not a friendly look, it was sultry, and no amount of lying to herself would change that. Between the hot pixie’s come-hither gaze and her Master’s sexy Spock eyebrow, Delia thought she might just burst into flames on the

spot.

Her brain registered, in a very quiet and methodical way, that she’d just thought of that guy standing over there as her Master.

“Mara, will you hand me those cuffs, please? Just the wrists for now. And that

chain.”

Delia hadn’t even noticed the big, exposed ceiling beam, but now Daniel was

standing under it with a determined expression on his face. He rolled up his sleeves as he surveyed it from one direction then the other, then turned to Mara again and took the cuffs she offered.

“Do you think you could go ask somebody if those eyehooks up there are safe for,

oh, about your same weight? I’d hate to assume and then find out the hard way they

were just left over from somebody’s Boston ferns.”

“Of course, Sir. I’ll be right back.” And off she went, closing the door behind her, while Daniel approached Delia with the cuffs.

“Left hand up.”

She dropped her gaze and lifted her wrist, trying not to squirm as he fastened the

cuff into place and checked the fit carefully before releasing it.

“Right hand.”

37

Delphine Dryden

Was he going to say anything? Ask her what she thought? Tell her what was in the

drawers, now that their tour guide was out of the room?

Apparently not.

“Stand up and strip.”

She stood up, but her fingers hesitated over the clasp that secured the neck strap of her halter-top. “Master? Isn’t she coming back? Did you want me to wait until—”

“I
want
you to take your clothes off, sub.”

He was very clear. He was not smiling. He seemed, in fact, sort of pissed off that

she wasn’t already naked.

Swallowing hard, Delia unfastened the clasps at her neck and waist, letting the soft fabric fall into her hands and then to the floor as she bared her torso. The zipper to her skirt seemed hard to undo, until she realized it was just her hands shaking. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and let the leather slide down to join the shirt with a quiet
flump
. She stepped out of it automatically then stood waiting to see what would happen next.

Unable to ever let clothes remain where they fell, Daniel quickly scooped up the

two pieces and arranged them over the back of a chair. It occurred to Delia that he

should probably be making
her
do that. A real Dom would make her do that.

Then he pushed a finger through the loop on her collar, tugged her close enough for

a hard, fast kiss, and was away again before she could even bring her hands up to

embrace him. Not another word, completely ignoring her while he arranged the chains

and perused the items in the drawers some more. She was still standing there, clad only in the collar and wrist cuffs, when the door opened and Mara the pixie came back in the room.

She walked right past Delia as if she were part of the furniture. Stood next to Daniel with her head lowered and her hands clasped behind her back. Just waiting for him to acknowledge her.

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Roses and Chains

“Yes?” Daniel asked impatiently. He didn’t even spare a glance at the woman.

“Sir, Dru said the rings are safe up to three hundred pounds, but as the equipment

is new to you, she requires that I stay to assist. Or if you would prefer somebody else, I can get one of the dungeon monitors.”

“No,” he said just a fraction too quickly. “You’ll do fine. You can help me figure out how to rig this chain, for starters.”

“Yes, Master Daniel. There’s actually a pole for that.” Mara stepped quickly to a

shadowed corner of the room and returned with a long black pole sporting a funny

hook on the end. Perfect for attaching clips to eyehooks at a distance. He took it and gave it a little toss, catching it in the other hand.

“Awesome.”

Within what seemed like seconds, he had arranged a carabiner a third of the way

up the light chain’s length, and snapped it into place on the ceiling hook.

“Bring me those other two clips,” he snapped, and Mara placed them in his hand

almost before the words left his mouth.

And something turned in Delia’s chest, sliding down into her stomach to lodge

itself there, a thumping, uncertain heat. Because something critical had changed over the past few minutes, and it had finally identified itself loud and clear as she watched her husband—her shiny, new, made-to-order Master—interact with this
other

submissive.

Daniel wasn’t acting, Delia realized. He wasn’t glancing over to her for

confirmation that he was getting it right. This, what he was doing, wasn’t for Delia’s benefit. It was what
he
wanted.

This isn’t just about me anymore.

39

Delphine Dryden

Chapter Six

Mara had been inclined to dismiss the couple from the start. From about the time

Dru indicated they were married, her first thought had been that they were lookie-loo types, playing around to be edgy because it was hip and daring. They would act cool

and reveal their ignorance in painful ways, most likely, and they would forget all about the lifestyle once they started trying to get pregnant.

Her first glimpse of the Fosters did nothing to change her mind.

Oh, they’re just freakin’ adorable
, she’d thought.

He was Mr. Thinking Dominant, probably trying to overcompensate for never

being as big and brawny as the rest of the dudes on the football team. In other words, probably an asshole with control issues who took himself way too seriously.

And she was obviously a Bad Sub.

Bad sub! No biscuit!
Mara said to herself when she saw the little blonde head popping up over the hubby’s lanky shoulder. And she hid her smirk when she tattled,

but there was certainly a smirk.

They wouldn’t last long.

She should have known she was in trouble when she got her first full eyeful of the

wife and had to mentally peel her bottom jaw off the floor.

The pouty, pink blowjob lips, the bouncy cheerleader ponytail. But with a cute

white collar and a very charming doe-eyed blink. She was Amie in sub form. And

despite the moment of cognitive dissonance that association had caused, Mara had to

conclude it was a very good look.

And then he’d laughed at the
Thunderdome
joke, revealing humor and geeky depths to go with the glasses, and the deal got just that little bit more interesting.

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Roses and Chains

When she left them in the Rose Room, she took a moment to catch her breath and

gather her thoughts. Considering what Dru had told her in a new light, Mara put her

initial judgments aside and tried to figure out the Fosters’ deal.

He had the vibe down, that much was clear. He was a Dom and didn’t really even

know it yet, but he was obviously getting there fast and enjoying the trip. The way his eyes lit up when he saw the glass dildo and the ice water made it pretty plain he was anticipating torture with all the delight of a seasoned top. And he was perceptive

enough to exert that little bit of control Mara had offered, playing the mind game with his sub, not letting her hear more than a word here and there.

So she had no choice but to be a good little sub and wait, patiently or not.

Good sub.

No biscuit.

Dru had mentioned the wife had the experience, that the husband—Master Daniel,

she decided, thinking she should start calling him that in her mind so she didn’t forget when she went back into the room—was the newbie. Was probably doing it because

Delia had talked him into trying it.

And that was the problem, right there. The wife didn’t think of him as a real Dom,

she thought of him as her husband being a good sport. And Mara knew that the last

thing a sub should be thinking about her Dominant is, “Gee, what a good sport.” So

Mara’s job would be to help Master Daniel realize he was doing it right…and help Delia see that, regardless of what she’d started out with, what she had on her hands now was a Dom. Who deserved all the focus and attention and service a sub owed a Dom.

After confirming the obvious, that the eyehooks in the ceiling were for the purpose

of suspending submissives, Dru had fixed Mara with a very direct look and asked her

what she thought of the Fosters.

When Mara had hesitated, Dru had smiled and cut off her fumbling attempt at a

response. “Stay with them, please. Liability issues. Congratulations, you’re officially a 41

Delphine Dryden

part-time employee tonight. Your job is to make sure nobody gets hurt in there. Let me know if he’d rather have one of the gorillas from the floor, all right?”

“Yes ma’am.” Mara couldn’t help grinning. “If I’m an employee, can I still play?

With the Fosters? I mean, if they ask, may I…”

“An employee of this club? Flirting and playing with patrons? Of course not,

Mara,” Dru mugged. “I’m shocked,
shocked
that you would suggest such a thing. But I also assume you’re smart enough to lock the door, ask the Master nicely first if you may play with his sub and be discreet about whatever takes place.”

And so when she returned to the Rose Room, her black leather corset adjusted just

slightly to show off a bit more cleavage, it was all “Yes, Master Daniel” and trying to pretend she wasn’t affected by the Master’s enthusiasm. Or by the hot naked sub they were arranging to chain to the ceiling.

Once she’d helped suspend the chains and secure the clips to the cuffs on Delia’s

wrists, Mara stepped back a little bit and tried to get some perspective on the scene. She had felt too close, too fast, with these pretty strangers. But taking in the big picture was even worse in its way.

There was Delia, arms overhead and legs spread, just testing the play in the chain to which she was shackled. She couldn’t quite reach her heels to the floor. Gorgeously

naked, with skin that glowed a little golden in the faux candlelight. Mara had

determined with some relief that the many, many little candles deployed to such effect around the room were actually LEDs, but they still flickered and gleamed. And they

still provided a romantic overtone that was so unusual for a dungeon.

The white collar and cuffs, and the links of the chain, caught the moody lighting

and drew the eye, helping to make a centerpiece of the suspended sub. And just in the foreground, the Master paced in a short arc, toying with his sleeves and looking

thoughtful. He was trim and graceful, with economical movements and an air of

decisive calm about him.

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Roses and Chains

Delia was watching him. He was studiously ignoring her. Getting into character,