Page 73 of Hideaway

“I do have a sex dungeon,” Cade answered, his expression amused. He’d expected some sort of panic or outburst when she saw the dirty secret that had been hiding beneath her precious library all along. What he hadn’t expected was stoicism. She did have quite the knack for surprising him. “Although, I prefer to call it the Hideaway.”

“Well, it’s better than the alternative I’d imagined.”

“And what exactly were you imagining?”he asked, thoroughly intrigued.

“A kidnapping criminal with a hidden door leading down to a mysterious room? I was starting to assume your hobbies were of the murderous variety,”Kara answered with an expression that was deadly serious.

Cade laughed as he realized that Kara was taking the sex room so well because she had been entertaining far worse alternatives. A little hardcore sex looked harmless when compared to fuckingmurder.“Well, if that’s what you thought of me, I’m surprised you followed me down into my den of horrors. It really exhibits a terrible lack of judgment on your part,” he scolded as he moved to caress the back of her neck. “I would expect a woman of your education to be more prudent, Dr. Caine.”

Kara gasped at the use of her proper title. It was perhaps the first time he hadevercalled her Dr. Caine, and he was doing so merely to call into question her intelligence.

Fucking. Bastard.

“Besides, we’ve yet to rule out the murder bit. Perhaps I merely like to play with my victims first,”Cade whispered ominously in her ear. His mockery was met with a hard jab in the ribs as Kara punched him with all her might.“Ow!”he exclaimed in surprise, rubbing at the tender spot where her fist made contact. It was probably the first time he had received a bruise in the Hideaway rather than delivered it. The thought amused him; she clearly had no idea who she was playing with. That sort of behavior from any of the women in his previous relationships would never have been tolerated. Clearly, the situation with Kara was singular in that she wasn’t aware of the conditions that preceded involvement with him. It was a lapse that Cade planned to rectify immediately.“Careful, love. You don’t want to provoke me in this room. In here, I have all the power.”

Kara shrank back slightly at the warning.“Sorry,”she apologized quickly as she looked about the room and considered all the ways Cade could retaliate. Pulling her eyes away from the intensity of his stare, Kara studied the imposing room before her, overcome with a sense of fear mingled with something she couldn’t quite place. Curiosity? Excitement? The fear seemed appropriate, but she was unsettled by the thought of other feelings inspiring the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Hoping to find something amid the madness to placate her need for rationality, Kara examined the walls and racks lined with implements and toys, some familiar and others a complete mystery as to name and function. There was something about the overall organization of the room that slightly quelled her uneasiness. It was precise, everything in its place according to a specific code, much like the texts on her archival shelves. She could appreciate that. Kara walked toward the far side of the room, drawn to where a row of canes lined the wall in succession from largest to smallest. She glanced at Cade as if to ask his permission before touching his implements of pain. He nodded in consent, seeming pleased that she recognized his authority. Kara lifted one of the thinner canes from its place on the wall, stroking the smooth edge with a single, curious finger.

“It’s so light,”she said in surprise as she turned the cane in her hand.

“It is. But don’t let that fool you; it’s got a wicked bite,”he said with a soft laugh. He was surprised that Kara had gravitated toward that particular area of the room. Perhaps she was naive enough to assume, incorrectly, that the simple rod was one of the tamer objects housed in the Hideaway. Kara seemed inadvertently drawn to danger, himself included. He could only hope that her infatuation with danger survived the night.

Cade reached a hand to cover one of Kara’s own, a tender embrace that encircled one of the cruelest of implements.“Canes leave the loveliest lines on the skin,”he said in a silky, seductive tone, tracing a pattern along her inner arm with the tip of his finger.“It’s the kinky embodiment of art; someone with a skilled hand can paint perfectly symmetrical marks that are an exact imprint of each blow that falls. Canes happen to be one of my favorite implements to play with,”he said, reaching for a thicker cane two down from the top.“Try this,”he said, handing her a cane that looked formidable enough to make her stir anxiously at the thought of it touching her skin. She returned the thin cane to the wall and took the other from Cade’s hand. The dark, flexible rod felt as vicious as it looked.

“I can’t imagine using something like this to play with. Wouldn’t it cause a lot of damage?”she asked with a furrowed brow, questioning whether she would be able to endure the pain that she had practically begged Cade to administer. If she’d had any idea that she was fucking some kind of sadist, she wouldn’t have made the request so lightly. Her breath quickened in panic as she held the cane, imagining Cade’s use of it on her. Her eyes darted to Cade and found his face full of calm reassurance. His certainty was like a balm to her fears, and she felt a portion of her panic fade away.

“I am not going to harm you, Kara. And I am not going to hurt you any more than you want me to. In all honesty, this cane, along with many of the tools in this room, can cause irreparable damage if not handled properly. I am highly skilled at delivering pain, and it is not an act that I take lightly. It takes some practice to be able to withstand the strokes of a cane without anguish,”he commented with professional certainty, taking the implement from Kara’s willingly relinquishing hands.

Having secured her trust, at least for the moment, Cade paused to assess how to best proceed with Kara. She appreciated facts; she liked to be made aware of all aspects of a subject so that she was able to make an informed decision or opinion. He could imagine it was difficult for a woman used to being one of the smartest in the room to be placed in an unfamiliar situation where she had almost no knowledge or experience. Provided she was willing, Cade could offer both.“With a light hand, this cane delivers a sharp sting and leaves red welts that turn to bruises. With a firm hand, it will break the skin easily. It is one of the harshest tools that I am willing to play with. Some opt for much harder impact play, others aren’t comfortable using anything harder than a crop. It is all a matter of preference between partners,”he elaborated as he moved to reunite the cane with the others on the wall.

Kara remained silent, her expression dark and troubled as she absorbed the information. Cade waited patiently in accompanying silence as Kara gathered enough bravery to formulate a question.“So, do all of your relationships involve BDSM?”she asked as evenly as possible.

Cade arched his brow in surprise at her use of the specific terminology for his kinks. Maybe she wasn’t quite as naive as he thought.“Personally, I find that bondage always enhances the sexual experience,but it’s not a requirement. We’ve fucked countless times, and I haven’t tied you down, have I?”

“No,” Kara replied cautiously.

Not yet.

“On the other hand, discipline, along with dominance, serves a vital role in maintaining the control I strive for in every relationship, sexual and otherwise. I expect to have my orders obeyed by every person under my command, whether it is you or someone in my employ. Disobedience incurs disagreeable consequences, as you well know. Because we share an intimate relationship, your consequences are far more physical and subject to my creativity.” Cade’s face filled with malicious glee at the thought.

The thought of being punished by Cade with any of the menacing objects in that room filled Kara with dread. The thought of him enjoying it was even more troublesome. Cade sensed her fears and moved to ease the furrowing of her brow with the gentlest caress. As the tension in her face softened, Cade grasped her chin firmly and raised her eyes to his. He met her gaze with an earnest sincerity, longing for her trust.

“My relationships don’t require an SM aspect. I am not a sadist, and I don’t need to hurt someone in order to achieve sexual gratification. That being said, I do seek out relationships defined by an unequal balance of power. I am undeniably dominant in all aspects of my life, and I crave submission, most of all in the bedroom. I have found that, for women who enjoy relinquishing power in a relationship, the experience is enhanced with the inclusion of sadomasochism. Being driven to release through the application of pain is an intimate and intense encounter for both participants.”

A tumult of thoughts churned in Kara’s head. Cade’s words were comforting and reasonable, and had she heard them with closed eyes, her fears and insecurities would likely have evaporated. But hearing Cade proclaim that he didn’t need to exact pain while standing in aliteralsex dungeon full of whips and canes was a bit like hearing an addict profess that they didn’t need the drugs while standing in a crackhouse. Kara kept her gaze focused on the damning proof, rather than the man with silken words and smoldering eyes that could banish her reason to the farthest reaches of her mind.

Cade addressed her unspoken accusations through gritted teeth.“Listen, I am not some sort of predator who delights in beating women. A man likethatleft those fucking marks on your body, so if that is what you think, we are turning around and walking up those stairs right now.” Cade’s face was full of seething anger at the unjust comparison. “It is a discredit to me and a discredit to your sensibility for staying with me if you think I am anything like that bastard.”

“You aren’t like him,”she admitted softly, sounding sincere, but her lowered eyes still held hesitation.

Patience nearly spent, Cade raked his fingers through his hair roughly. There was nothing quite so taxing as attempting to make aneducatedwoman understand facts that go against their own sensibilities. In fact, the success of such an endeavor was damned near impossible.“Close your eyes, Kara,”he said firmly. She looked at him questioningly, but made no move to comply. Cade was hardly surprised; it was a difficult task to disadvantage yourself willingly, especially in a situation of tension. It was much like asking a sub to hold still without the use of restraints. The body’s natural response was to maintain control; sometimes compliance required assistance. Cade walked away from Kara toward the desk at her back and rifled through the top drawer.

“Cade,”she implored in a voice shaky with trepidation. She eyed the point of escape, wary of his intentions, mind racing with images of what horrifying objects could lurk within the confines of that drawer. Cade walked back toward her carrying an unassuming piece of black cloth.

“May I?”he asked in polite request, holding up a silk blindfold. She was so relieved that he hadn’t come bearing some instrument of torture that she nodded her head in acquiescence. A blindfold was familiar, and she felt just a little more at ease as he slipped it gently over her head and the view of that terrifying room disappeared.

The darkness was comforting.

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