Page 40 of Worth the Risk

“He said that, did he? When?”

“The night we met, but I...uh, probably shouldn’t have mentioned it. Hannah says he’s protective of his staff, if that’s any justification.”

“Open and honest, Bella. That is a hard-and-fast rule of mine. So yes, you should have mentioned it. Ben cautioning a newbie who insists she’s vanilla that she’s about to get tangled up with a sadist is understandable. In fact, it should probably be in the handbook. But you have nothing to fear from me. Whether I restrain, flog, fuck, or bite you tonight, you’re going to get off on it.” He curled his hand beneath her chin and waited for her to look at him. “If you get scared or want to stop, do you remember what to do?”

“I say red, and it all stops. But I don’t think I’ll need to. I want all of those things you mentioned, especially the getting-off part.”

His smile reappeared with her admission. “Then give me your wrists, and I’ll jump right on that.”

She held out her hands to him, the air freezing in her lungs as he buckled the fleece-lined leather cuffs around first one wrist then the other.

“It helps to breathe, darlin’. Passing out ends a scene as good as saying red.”

Bella inhaled deep through her nose then blew it out slowly through slightly puckered lips. It steadied her a little.

“Excellent,” he murmured. “You already know pursed-lip breathing. It’s helpful when you’re trying to keep from coming.”

“I’m glad for those once-a-week yoga classes, right about now.”

“Quiet your mind, free your body, yeah?”

“Yes, sir.”

“A good philosophy. As is listening and responding to your dom. If I tell you to breathe so you don’t pass out or to breathe through the pain, that’s what I expect you to do. Got it?”

“Got it,” she agreed, and inhaled again because thebreathe through the painpart kind of freaked her out.

With both cuffs secured, Dan ran a finger between the fleece and her skin to check the fit. After humming with approval, he leaned in, and his mouth covered hers, his tongue delving inside and exploring. It went on and on, his hands on her hips, pulling her into the hardness of his body until she swayed on her feet and clung to his shoulders.

When he pulled away, breaking the kiss, his own breathing sounded a little fast. She bit her lip to hide her smile that Master Dan, with his years of experience, wasn’t immune to her allure.

He reached above his head and pulled down a chain on a pulley. With deft fingers, he linked her cuffs together then to a hook on the end of the chain. Her hands went up as the chain retracted, thankfully stopping before her arms fully extended.

This must not have satisfied him because he reached up again and pulled down a control box on a cable. Hitting the green button activated the pulley and shortened the chain.

Seeing her alarm, he leaned in and kissed her nose. “Be careful what you wish for, Bella. Part of the fun of BDSM is the unexpected.”

“No more wishes. Or maybe I should wish for the opposite of what I want then I’ll be more likely to get it.”

“Smart-ass,” he murmured, moving his hand behind her to pat then squeeze then lightly pinch her bottom.

“I was trying to be logical, not smart, sir.”

“So noted, but maybe it’s best not to talk for this next part, except to say red or to beg your dom to let you come. Either is acceptable.”

She bit her lips before another logical response burst forth. Especially since she was bound at the wrists and nearly suspended from the ceiling. She was completely at his mercy, and weirdly, her body vibrated from the thrill of that. It seemed taboo on so many levels, but if she was open and honest with herself, at least, she loved it.

Dan stepped back and admired his handiwork, his eyes raking over her silk-covered body. Oddly, he’d left the sheath on. But with her arms above her head, her breasts swelled over the low neckline, and the hem had crept halfway up her bottom. Even clothed, Bella felt exposed. She felt vulnerable, but also incredibly turned on.

He grasped the flogger by the handle and shook it out. Next, he ran the soft strands, which appeared to be suede or some other form of supple leather, over her skin, letting her get a feel for it. Bella gasped when he flicked his wrist and the tails fell against her thighs. The sensation—not hard or stinging but amazing—sent shock waves of pleasure through her body.

Dan worked the flogger like a master painter expertly wielded his brush. He slowly expanded his strike zone so that the tails fell again and again on her thighs, belly, and back—mostly bare from the deep V of the sheath. Then he lightly flicked her breasts. The tips brushed the undersides first, and, when her nipples hardened and poked over the low neckline, he flogged those, too.She craved more, and he seemed to sense it, increasing the intensity, each strike harder than the last.

Every inch of her skin felt alive with sensation. It was beyond incredible, and she was on the verge of coming, but she still wanted more. She wanted the erotic pain he felt compelled to inflict, to let go completely and surrender to the pleasure.

A clatter on the floor brought her out of her headlong spiral toward orgasm. Dan moved closer, without the flogger–thus the clatter–but with his leather pants open and his cock in hand. Bella’s heart raced as his free hand ran over her hips, down to her tingly ass cheeks then up her spine. She could feel the heat of his body against hers, his breath hot on her throat as his tongue and mouth kissed a searing line up to her ear.

He whispered, low and husky, “I’m going to fuck you on your toes, with your skin warm and pink and glowing from my lash. Are you ready for me?”

---