“Truths, Mira,” I prodded her a moment before I struck.
“Um… um… I’m not stupid. I’m smart enough to get top marks and graduate early while taking care of her.”
“Good girl.” My voice rang out with the words of affirmation at the same time Trent’s did, and I looked up to notice he’d also paused play and was rubbing his partner’s now very red ass.
My throat thickened. Was it from the straight shot to the gut Mira’s words had made, or the longing I felt deep inside? Both, maybe? I couldn’t be sure. I tore my gaze away from Trent and his partner and focused it back on Mira. She was weeping softly and her shoulders were pulled up, probably anticipating the next swat.
Shit. I really needed to focus.
And I did. I brought the paddle down again and again, sometimes waiting for her to call out an affirmation, sometimes calling it out for her. Hers broke me. The longer we went on, theygot more varied and more specific, releasing what I could tell was years of hurt. Some of it mirrored my own to a tee, twisting my gut and bringing up my own bad memories.
CHAPTER 15
Trent
Vivian, the submissive I was scening with, was visiting from New York, here after a bad break-up, with the intention of clearing her head and finding out once and for all, if she was really into this lifestyle or if it was just fantasy fodder—fun to read about but not something she really wanted to live.
She seemed nice enough, and a little too eager. I had to draw clear boundaries against sexual play of any kind. Normally I wouldn’t care, but I wasn’t going to chance messing up things with Maureen, right when I felt she was on the verge of letting her guard down and giving me a real chance.
Vivian pouted a little but cut it right out when I offered to let her find someone else to scene with, someone who maybe wouldn’t have as many personal boundaries. She was a beautiful woman though, very submissive and responsive, and for a novice, she was taking as good as I gave. Sometimes people thought they wanted this until reality set in after a few swats.
If Maureen wasn’t a thing, if my second chance with my dream girl wasn’t right in front of me, Vivian would have madea very nice second place. But Maureen was. And not only was she in the picture, she was in the Dungeon tonight, at the bench behind the one we were occupying. She was playing with Mira, a surprise that made me lift my eyebrows, but made sense.
Vivian’s fun, bubbly attitude and newbie status kept me fully enthralled in our scene, but I still couldn’t help sneaking a peek at Maureen every time I paused to give Vivian a break, and I was pretty sure Maureen had stolen a few glances my way as well.
When Vivian finally broke, when her body went limp and she began to cry, I knew our time was coming to an end. For a newbie, she’d held up incredibly well, but her bottom was starting to mark beyond my preference, so I called an end to the scene.
I half expected a fight when I did, but she didn’t protest. She was silent as I unhooked the restraints holding her in place, and helped her to her feet, but she swayed in my arms and her eyes had that glossy, post-scene haze that told me she’d entered subspace as I’d suspected.
“Come on, little subby,” I whispered as I lifted her into my arms and sat on the nearby stool. There were couches for aftercare, but I wanted to watch Maureen. Seeing her as a Top wasn’t something I had much opportunity to do, and I was intrigued and curious.
I signaled to an attendant to bring me some aftercare supplies, a bottle of water, some chocolate and a warm blanket, as well as some arnica cream, and if they thought my location was odd, they didn’t comment, just nodded and returned a few moments later with the requested items. As I wrapped the blanket around Vivian, and fed her the water in small sips, my eyes were glued to the scene in front of me.
I focused on the words the two women were speaking and winced, because I knew from the details Maureen had divulged to me, this scene had to be hitting a chord. Mira seemed tobe taking it well. Her body was relaxed, and though she was crying—sobbing actually—she seemed comfortable and called out “Green” whenever Maureen asked.
Maureen though…. I could see her wincing. Her jaw was tightening sometimes, her eyes wet with unshed tears. Her shoulders seemed stiff. But she also looked determined.
I watched as she set down the wooden paddle she’d been using throughout the scene and picked up a strap similar to the one I’d used on Vivian.
With a glance at Vivian to make sure she was okay—her eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling in a soft rhythm indicating she’d dozed off in my arms—I turned my attention back to Maureen and Mira.
“Color?” Maureen called out.
“Green,” Mira answered.
It didn’t feel right to me. My spidey senses were tingling. But I shoved my concerns aside, chalked them up to jealousy that I couldn’t deny, and kept my mouth shut.
A second before the strap made contact with Mira’s ass, Maureen’s gaze drifted around the room, and locked on me.
She blinked rapidly. Her mouth fell open, but she snapped it closed. She forced a smile I could tell she didn’t feel and then began to strap Mira in earnest. The words they spoke between them were softer this time—I could barely make them out, but I could tell Maureen was struggling. She seemed to be in a trance, operating through muscle memory, no longer focused on her submissive, her mind a million miles away.
Maybe I was wrong. I told myself I was, and turned my attention back to Vivian when she shifted in my arms. Her tongue darted between her lips and her eyes fluttered open. “More water?” she whispered.
“Of course.” I pushed her sweat-dampened hair from her face and shifted her upright in my arms before holding the bottle to her lips and guiding several more, longer this time, sips.
She smiled, looking more alert, and pointed to the chocolate bar. I unwrapped it and hand fed her small pieces, no longer watching the scene in front of us.
I’d convinced myself I was imagining things when I heard it.