Spring Training (19 page)

He had Brooke’s collar in his bag in the clubhouse. He had it sent to the training facility, so she wouldn’t see it before he had a chance to ask her if she would wear it.

Last night had been incredible. Intense. The marks he’d put on her weren’t as uniform as the ones Mistress Lola had put on her, but they meant more. After she’d fucked him—yeah, he could admit she fucked him—she thanked him for taking her to the same place Mistress Lola had taken her. Her concern that doing so had been traumatic for him was like a spear to his heart.

In truth, he hadn’t set out to take her into deep subspace. He’d desperately needed to mark her, claim her, in a way he’d never needed to before. The need had been raw. Caveman crazy.
My woman. Ugh.

He smiled at the memory. Stepping on home plate, he was instantly engulfed by a herd of Mustangs. How had he ever thought he could leave these guys behind? Their faces were as familiar as his own, their joy at his accomplishments as genuine as his own. He’d seen players come and go, but he’d been a part of this fraternity for over ten years. Accepting congratulations from his friends, he headed to the dugout. Outside, he accepted his bat from the bat boy, who added a congratulatory fist bump and a smile.

The only thing missing was seeing Brooke in the stands, but he’d specifically forbidden her to come today. After what he put her through the night before, she needed to rest. Their last session with Mistress Lola was tonight, then, tomorrow, the final pre-season game. After that, Brooke would head home to Dallas, and he’d leave for Seattle with the team for the first game of the season. He hated the idea of his slave being alone, but he had no choice. They both had obligations they couldn’t ignore.

Coming to Arizona to be with him the last few weeks was the first time she left her business in the hands of her employees for more than a few hours. Perhaps if it fared well in her absence, he would talk to her about going on a few road trips with him during the season. She might like the mini-vacations, and he sure as hell enjoyed having her in his bed when he was out of town. The thought of being apart from her for as much as two weeks at a time seemed unbearable now.

When they’d only been Dungeon buddies, he hadn’t worried about her when he was gone. He was pretty sure she hadn’t see
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anyone else while he was away, but she wasn’t bound to him in any real sense. Taking their relationship out into the real world had given him a new perspective, a new sense of possession where she was concerned, but it wasn’t until the possibility of losing her cropped up that he understood just what was at stake. It wasn’t just the best sex he’d ever had, it was everything. His every thought and action revolved around Brooke. Her well-being, her happiness, mattered more to him than his own. In the last six weeks, he’d come to understand just how much trust she placed in his hands by offering him not just submission but slavery.

She was his responsibility, and he took it seriously. Whatever she needed, she would have even if it meant stepping out of his comfort zone to do so. He still wasn’t completely comfortable with what he’d done to her the night before, but he wouldn’t lay the responsibility all on her either. He’d been in a dark place when he arrived home, a place where he felt a deep-seated need to mark her, to claim her.

Making love to her afterward had been even more selfish than flogging her, but seeing the quiet need in her eyes, he hadn’t been able to deny her.

Tonight, they would thank Mistress Lola for all she’d done for them. Then, when he was alone with his slave, he’d offer her the collar he should have given her months ago. He’d ask her to marry him, too, but the ring would have to wait until they could shop for it together. Carrie had offered to help him select one, but he hadn’t had time to make arrangements with her. Brooke would want something simple and elegant, and he was pretty sure he didn’t have a clue how to pick that out. All he knew was the diamond needed to sparkle as bright as her eyes when he entered her. If it did that, it would be perfect.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Brooke gazed out the passenger side window as they drove the few blocks to Mistress Lola’s converted warehouse. Rain pounded the roof and slid along the glass in horizontal rivers that matched her mood—wonky. She’d felt off-kilter all day, wondering what would happen at tonight’s session. She hadn’t spoken to Mistress Lola today. The stripes on her back would be a surprise, one Brooke didn’t know how the other woman would react to.

“I hope this rain is gone before we leave tonight.” Brooke glanced at Todd. He had a death grip on the steering wheel. “It doesn’t take much rainfall in the desert to create a mess.”

The wipers swished back and forth, trying to keep up with the deluge. “I think they said it was just a passing shower,” she offered.

“Hope they’re right. Don’t want to cancel tomorrow’s game.”

The final pre-season game. He hadn’t said anything more about her packing the new kitchen utensils, and she’d let the subject drop. After last night, she felt as if everything had changed. They’d changed. Before last night, she’d thought she needed more, that though she loved Todd, he’d never be able to give her everything she needed, but he proved he could. It was almost as if he’d read her mind and set out to prove her wrong.

Whatever had possessed him to send her into deep subspace, she was grateful for it. She’d been afraid he was going to apologize for what he’d done, but he hadn’t. That was good. She didn’t want him feeling as if he’d gone too far when she loved it. She’d been in love with him since the first time he’d strapped her to a spanking bench and heated her ass with his hand. She’d known she wanted to be his slave for months before he asked her to move in with him. And now…she loved him more than she’d ever dreamed possible.

The night before had been beyond wonderful for her. For him to give her so much must have cost him a great deal, yet he’d done it—for her. His love made her strong enough to surrender everything to him, her heart, her mind, her body.

Remembering how she’d broken down, confessing to Mistress Lola her lack of confidence in her Master’s ability to provide for her needs, made her feel sick. Once again, she’d betrayed her Master’s trust. As soon as Mistress Lola saw Brooke’s back, she’d tell Master the things she’d said. She’d tell him his slave hadn’t believed in his ability.

Her stomach churned. Would he punish her before he turned her loose, or would he just cast her away without another thought?

She deserved his punishment. She deserved to be cut loose.

They turned the corner. A few vehicles lined the curb on either side. Todd maneuvered the car into a spot a few doors down from their destination. When he reached for the door handle, she put her hand on his arm.

“Wait. Please, Master. I need to tell you something.”

He settled back in the seat, turning concerned eyes on her. “I promise you won’t be used hard tonight.” His smile was warm. “You aren’t up to it, babe.”

“That isn’t…. I know you wouldn’t….” She averted her gaze, searching for a way to tell him of her betrayal. It would be cowardly to let him hear it from anyone else.

He placed a finger beneath her chin, commanding her to look up at him. His eyes were bright with love for her, love she would destroy because she’d been stupid. Because she hadn’t had faith in him.

“What is it, babe?”

The damp desert air seemed to have seeped into her bones. She shivered. Misery clogged her throat. She breathed deeply, letting the words out in a rush. “I’m sorry, Sir. I did something unforgivable.”

“Tell me, Brooke. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.” He sounded so patient, so reasonable, but he didn’t know the depth of her betrayal.

“I doubted you, Master.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as his hand fell away from her chin. “Go on.”

She told him about her conversation with Mistress Lola, admitting every shameful thing she’d said, her every disloyal thought. When she was through, her tears rivaled the rain drumming overhead.

“I see.” He turned away from her, his gaze focused on the windshield made opaque by the sheet of water cascading over it.

Brooke clasped her hands in her lap as much to keep them from shaking as to keep her from reaching for the door handle. She felt unworthy of breathing the same air as he.

“You thought I didn’t want you to come back next year with me?”

She nodded, sucking back a sob.

“That’s my fault, Brooke. I should have told you why I asked you to do that.” The contrition in his voice drew her gaze to him. His shoulders were slumped, his face lined. “I didn’t want to worry you, especially since I didn’t think anything would ever come of the trade rumor.”

“You’re being traded?” Brooke pushed aside her own troubles. “Why didn’t you tell me? Oh, my God!”

“No, I’m not being traded.” He put his hand on her arm. “Not unless I want to be.”

Brooke deflated. “Do you want to be? Is that why you told me to pack my stuff? Because you’ll be with another team next year? Because you’re moving and you aren’t taking me with you?”

“No. Yes.” He shook his head. “I thought you might not come back, but not because of the trade…because I thought I might not be able to give you what you needed in order to keep you. If that turned out to be the case, I was going to agree to the trade. I didn’t think I could live in the same city with you and not have the right to fuck you…to love you...every day.”

“Oh, God.” Her head thumped against the headrest.

“Do you love Mistress Lola? I can still accept the trade if that’s what you want.”

Brooke closed her eyes. “No. I thought I loved her, but last night, I realized I only loved what she did to me. I was a fool, Master.”
And a coward.

She should get out now and save herself the humiliation of being thrown out on the sidewalk in the rain, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Please, Master. Punish me any way you like, but don’t cast me away. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. If you want to accept the trade, I’ll go anywhere you go.”

“You have a business to run,” he reminded her. “Besides, you don’t even know where we might be going.”

“I’m proud of Baked by Brooke, but it’s nothing compared to how proud I am to be your slave, Sir.”

“San Diego offered me a lot of money. I’m going to turn them down.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “A couple of reasons. I don’t want to leave the Mustangs. I’ve only got a few years left in the League, and I want to finish my career with the team that took a chance on me when I didn’t know my left nut from a curve ball.” He reached for her hand, threaded their fingers together. “And I didn’t want to take you away from your business. I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

“So where do we go from here?”

“It seems we still have some trust issues to work out.” He flexed his fingers, adjusting his grip on her hand. “Let’s go inside.”

Todd grabbed a bag from the backseat then came around the car to open her door. When she put her hand in his, he intertwined his fingers with hers once again. They walked to Mistress Lola’s, hand-in-hand, the rain soaking them. She wanted to think it was washing them clean, but it wasn’t. It was cold, wet, and miserable, just like her.

They disrobed in the small dressing room. Mistress Lola waited for them in the main room. She’d chosen a black leather corset over a matching mini-skirt. A garter belt held up fishnet stockings. Her spiked heels made her almost as tall as Todd.

“You’re late.” She pointed a red-tipped finger at the floor. Brooke and Todd both sank to their knees. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”

“My apologies, Mistress,” Todd said. “We had some things to discuss before we came inside. I would have called had we decided not to keep our appointment.”

“That was something you considered?”

“Yes, Ma’am, I did. I’ve failed to train my slave properly. As a result, she went to another with her concerns instead of speaking to me as she should have. I’ve come to ask you to punish me for my failure to instill the trust I should have in my slave. I wish her to witness my humiliation and suffering, so she will never again doubt my devotion to her and our relationship.”

“Your slave is not to be punished for her lack of faith in you?”

“No, Mistress. The fault is all mine. I think witnessing my punishment will reinforce the discipline of private counsel enough.”

“Girl, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“I would not have Master suffer because of something I did. I knew what I was doing was wrong, that it violated my Master’s rules regarding his privacy, yet I did it anyway because my faith in him was not as it should be.”

“Your faith has been restored, slave?”

“Yes, Mistress. It was there all along. I just did not trust my Master as I should have.”

“What convinced you of your mistake?”

“Master did, Ma’am. He is everything I need. Everything I want. I love him beyond all others.” Brooke prayed Mistress Lola would understand what she was saying without her having to come out and say she’d mistaken her feelings for the woman. She loved her brand of discipline, but she did not love her. Not the way she loved Master.

“Turn around, slave.”

Brooke presented her back to the Domme.

“Your Master did this to you?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Master Todd, this is some impressive work. Why did you do it?”

“I needed to mark her, to claim her for all the world to see.”

“This was not punishment? This was for your own pleasure?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Are you sorry you did it?”

“No Mistress. I loved every minute of watching her work through the pain. I would parade her naked through the Mustangs Stadium to show the world she belongs to me if I could. I’m proud of her, and I’m proud to be the one she trusts her body to.”

“She trusts her body to you, but she has been slow to place her complete faith in you.”

“Yes, Ma’am. My submitting to punishment, I think, should convince her of my commitment to making our relationship work.”

“Very well. I believe a whipping is in order for you, Master Todd.”

Brooke couldn’t stand it. She spun around. “No! Please, Mistress, Master. Punish me instead.”

“You are out of line, slave.” She stopped cold at Master’s words. “You will obey Mistress Lola until I tell you otherwise.”

She’d brought all this about with her lack of faith, so she had no choice but to put her complete faith in her Master’s decision. She ducked her head. “Yes, Master.”

“Master Todd, face first on the spider web, please.” Her Master disappeared from Brooke’s line of sight.

“Slave.”

Brooke cringed at the address. “Secure your Master to the equipment. I think the ankle restraints are in a good place. You’ll have to move the wrist ones. I want his arms through the web at shoulder height. Secure his wrists just above his head. When you’re done, make sure his genitals are through on the other side then secure his thighs to the chains so he can’t accidentally injure himself.”

Brooke worked silently, her heart breaking a little more with each restraint securely fastened. As soon as she touched his cock, he went hard. If Mistress Lola hadn’t been standing over her shoulder with the straps to secure his legs, she would have taken him in her mouth as an apology for humiliating him so.

“Don’t worry, slave. He’ll survive. But you’re an emotional one, so, to make sure you don’t get in my way and sustain an unintentional injury, I’m going to restrain you, too. Hands out in front.”

Her knees shook as Mistress Lola led her across the room. After attaching her wrist cuffs to an overhead bar, she hobbled her with a spreader bar attached with steel cuffs around her ankles. She wasn’t going anywhere.

She stared in horror as the whip arced through the air, landing with a sickening snap against human flesh. The whip fell away, leaving a long red line from Master’s right shoulder to just above his left hip. He didn’t make a sound, but Brooke did.

“Please! Stop! Whip me instead!”

“Shut up, slave, or I’ll gag you to keep you quiet.”

Brooke bit her lower lip as the whip sliced the air again, headed toward its target. She closed her eyes and buried her face against her arm, but it didn’t help. She could still remember the terrible sound of leather meeting flesh, and, what seemed worse, hearing the savage blows, but not a peep from her Master’s lips as the sinister instrument scarred his beautiful skin from shoulder to ankle.

His silence mocked her.
He’s doing this for you because he loves you.
Because you betrayed him. Because you didn’t have faith in his love for you.
He was right. No whip, no chains, no torture device would be as effective as witnessing this.
He’d give his life for you.

I love you, Master. Please, please, stop this. I’m yours forever. I’ll never doubt your ability to meet my needs. I’ll never lose faith in your love. Please, Master. Please let me take this punishment for you.