Page 42 of Dark Cravings

“It’s kind of complicated.”

“I’ve got all the time in the world. Uncomplicate it for me.”

“You’ll probably be surprised to hear this but I was part of a ménage relationship that just fell apart. Well, sort of.”

“Whoa, that is unexpected. Explain the sort of for me.”

“Well, we’ve kind of gone in circles with one or more of us being unsure of whether we could make it work. Thomas is a Dom and Shelby is a switch. Long story short, Thomas got sick of waiting for Shelby to be ready. I thought Shelby and I could continue without him but she decided she didn’t want me either.”

“What do you mean she didn’t want you?”

“She told me she could never be content with just me because she’s a switch. She said it was unfair to both of us.”

“And do you agree with her?”

“In hindsight, I’ve realized that I was inconsiderate to her needs. So, she was probably right to end things. I just feel so untethered now. I have no one to play with and no relationship. I’m not really even sure why I came here tonight.”

“My guess would be to blow off steam. Did you want to play tonight? It’s been a long time.”

“You know what? I think I would like that.”

“Would you like to book a public or private room?”

I glanced over his shoulder to see Thomas glaring at us. I didn’t know what the fuck his problem was but I couldn’t let myself care. He’d made his choice. Seeing him acting like that made my decision easy.

“Let’s book a public room. People should be able to see you with a whip.”

“Okay, stay here and I’ll find a room.”

I watched as he walked toward the window rooms, excited for what was to come. He motioned me over, so I tossed back the rest of my drink and made my way to him.

“We lucked out. Someone just canceled their slot. We’re up.”

“Sweet, okay.”

He popped over to the side table to grab his bag and guided me through the door that led to the rooms and we walked into ours. I grabbed the hem of my dress and dragged my thong down my legs, stepping out of it. Carlos and I had never been more than friends and occasional play partners but that didn’t stop his eyes from roaming my naked curves. With a grin, I walked up to the St. Andrew’s cross and waited for him to come over.

He came, cuffs in hand and made short work of securing me to the cross. I glanced over my shoulder as he grabbed a single-tail whip from his bag, watching as he flicked his wrist a couple of times. Turning my head back to the cross, I shivered, the anticipation coursing through my body. With a whooshing sound, the whip grazed lightly across my back. He continued with light impact until my back was warm and I could feel a bit of a sting on it. He walked over to me with a smile on his face.

“Color, sweetheart?”

“Green, Sir.”

“Good girl.”

He went back to stand where he had been and the first hard lick of the whip connected with me. I cried out as he flicked it in a diagonal fashion. He alternated high and low impact until I was a quivering mess on the cross. He came back to me and soothed my back in gentle circles with his hand.

“Can you handle more, sub?”

“Yes, Sir.”

With a nod, he made his way to his back and took out his cat o’ nine tails. I shivered, knowing what was coming next. I turned back toward the cross and the first strike connected seconds later. I cried out again as the whip licked me time and again, leaving a hot stinging sensation on my back. After a couple of minutes, he had made his way back to me and was rubbing my back again. He unhooked the cuffs around my ankles and then wrapped one arm around my waist as he unhooked my wrists.

My legs buckled under me, his arm holding me steady. He led me to the chair at the side of the room and helped me sit.

“Give me a second, sweetheart. I need to clean up quickly.”

He grabbed one of the disinfectant wipes and ran it over the cross. Grabbing his bag, he came back over and pulled me up. We made our way out of the room and to the aftercare room. He sat on one of the couches and I sat beside him as he wrapped an arm around me.

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