Page 76 of Breaking Free

Tristan took her by the shoulders and turned her to face their station. “Around here, it’s different strokes for different folks. You’re going to find many things that aren’t your cup of tea. Wax play for some is relaxing, to others it’s erotic, and, if the dom knows what he or she is doing, quite safe.”

“What if he doesn’t know what he’s doing?”

“That’s why we have demonstrations, training classes, club masters, and DMs to supervise, and safewords.”

“I’m afraid I might be using them a lot. Is there such a thing as overusing a safeword?”

“When you’re new and still exploring your boundaries, the answer is no. Once you gain experience, a dominant partner may encourage you to broaden your horizons because what was a firm no in the beginning may eventually turn into a maybe, or ultimately a yes.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever say yes to hot wax on my nipples.”

“But you’re okay with me binding you with rope and hanging you from the rafters. To someone else, that might be a hard limit.”

Unable to help herself, her gaze drifted to the chains, cables, and pulleys dangling from the ceiling two stories up.

Framing her face with both hands, he angled her face to his. “Focus, Piper. What I’m saying is that if you’re reluctant to try new things, you may miss out on something you really enjoy. But it’s important to remember you always have the choice. A safeword acts as a safety net, much like dialing 911 in an emergency. It’s there for you when you need it, but using it unnecessarily won’t earn you any points.”

“There are points?” she asked with a nervous giggle. Adding, “Are there also prizes?”

“Yes. Orgasms and spankings,” he quipped without missing a beat. “Smart-ass subs usually only get one of the two. I’ll give you a guess which it is.”

She didn’t need to guess, and, oddly enough, the idea of being over Tristan’s knee with his hand warming her bottom made her mind go blank when it came to safewords.

“I’m sorry. You’re being patient with me, even when I’m acting silly and asking a million questions. I get that way when I’m nervous, but I promise to behave—sir.”

“Mm-hmm. We’ll see.” He pulled her into the open area next to the table. “Lesson #1. Safety. You are my priority. I won’t take undue risks. I’ll respect your limits and will take every precaution. You have a role in it too. We call it active bottoming.I can’t read your mind, so I expect you to communicate and let me know if something is pinching, hurting, if you’re cramping up or getting numb. I’ll also expect you to be proactive in preventing injury by stretching before a session.”

Piper nodded. “I can do that.”

“We’ll do it together this time,” he insisted, taking a step back. “Gentle stretches starting with your neck then move down.”

She tilted her head from side to side, but he wasn’t happy with it.

“You want to put each joint through a full range of motion. Let me show you.”

He stood behind her, hands on her shoulders. Just that simple, nonsexual touch, his fingers rough from the ropes, gave her delightful shivers.

“Roll your neck in a circle, slowly. Feel the gentle pull in your neck muscles.”

Doing as he directed, she closed her eyes. Tristan’s voice, with its husky timbre, was mesmerizing as it wrapped around her.

“Good. Twice more.”

His fingers flexed on her shoulders. “You’re tight. Relax.”

Easy for him to say. Still, she tried as his fingers worked their magic, kneading her tense muscles and coaxing them to loosen under his skilled hands. Too soon, like all good things, it was over.

Moving to her arms, he encouraged her to reach and bend, stretching the muscles in her back and sides at the same time. When they moved to her lower back, he had her do lunges and easy toe touches. It felt fantastic, especially when he massaged away the knots that had formed from the constant stress and tension of the past few weeks.

Next, he pulled her down to the floor with him. “Lie on your side.”

She hesitated, conscious of her short dress with only skimpy panties underneath.

“The show hasn’t ended yet. There’s hardly anyone in here to see.”

Not yet.She didn’t think for a minute her clothes would stay on.

Piper did as he asked, and he guided her through a series of hip flexes and extensions. The intensity of his unwavering gaze and his hands on her inner thighs as he explained which muscles each stretch targeted, made for the most sensual and arousing warm-up session of her life.

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