Page 50 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

The staircase led down to an open room, and Niko flicked the light on at the bottom, providing illumination. It was a very standard basement, if a little on the small side. There was a small sofa, a television, and a coffee table all set up in a quaint little nook, and all in all, it looked perfectly unassuming.

“What are we doing down here?” I asked, confused.

“You’ll see.” He led me to one of three doors in the far wall, all firmly shut. He punched a code into a keypad mounted on the wall, shielding it from me so I could not see the numbers. After the way I’d broken his trust, I couldn’t blame him for being cautious. I’d really fucked up.

The door opened, but with a hand on my shoulder, he stopped me from entering.

“This room is a sacred room for us. I expect you to treat it as such.” He was so serious, his eyes pinning me with a look that told me he meant business.

“Kind of overkill for a game room, isn’t it?” I laughed off, but his scowl remained firmly in place. “Or not,” I squeaked out.

“This is not a game room, Maddy. It’s a dungeon.”

“A what?!” I all but shrieked, my eyes popping open wide.

“Did I stutter?”

“You cannot be serious. You’re going to punish me in a literal dungeon?” I pulled away from him, jerking backlike I’d been burned. “There is no way in hell I’m going to let you hurt me, Niko. You’ve lost your damn mind.”

He quickly grabbed me by both shoulders, stopping me from running away.

“Maddy. It’s adungeon. A BDSM dungeon. Not a torture chamber.”

“Yeah, whatever. Tomato tom-ah-to. Same damn difference.”

“Okay, we can call it a playroom, if that makes you feel more comfortable. It is where we engage in kink.”

“Oh, like together? No wonder you all moved out here in the boonies. Y’all want to get your freak on together.” I was spewing nonsense in my nervousness, and I knew it.

“Enough.” His barked order rang out through the small room, echoing off the walls. “Will you stop your attitude for two seconds andlisten?”

We stared each other down for the span of what felt like minutes before I sighed and resigned myself with a nod.

“I take what I do very seriously, Maddy. This is a punishment. It won’t be fun, but I’m not going to harm you. I would never harm you. It goes against everything a Dominant stands for. What happens in this room is consensual.”

“It’s a dungeon, Niko. Or, excuse me, aplayroom.”

“And do you remember our negotiations?” he asked.

“Yes, of course I do,” I grumbled with a roll of my eyes.

“And was there anything in our negotiations regarding punishment that you no longer agree with?” he gave me a pointed look.

“Well, no, but—”

“But nothing. What we agreed to is what we agreed to. I will not do anything you do not wish to have done to you. I won’t cross your boundaries.” His hands rubbed down over my shoulders, soothing me as my own anger subsided. “Even when you have crossed mine.”

Okay, that last part stung. But he was right.

“You still have your safewords. Even in punishment. Especially in punishment. But remember the purpose.”

“To help me grow in ways I have agreed to. Which means it might not be fun, but it won’t harm me,” I recited his words from our negotiations.

“Good. Now, head inside.” With his hand pressed to the small of my back, he ushered me into the dark room.

As soon as I stepped inside, the lights flicked on, illuminating a surprisingly large room in a dim, muted glow.

“Oh my God,” I whispered in awe. I had been expecting some dark, seedy cement and metal situation. In fact, I realized at that moment that I had been picturing a room like the one I’d walked into on that fateful night that had led me here. What I saw before me was the furthest thing from it. It was like a luxury hotel suite, built exclusively for dark delights.

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