Page 20 of Mind Game

Michael grabs Carly, dragging her to the sawhorse.She blushes furiously as he bends her over, squirts some lube between her cheeks, and positions her none too gently on the saddle.She grimaces as she eases herself onto the double protrusions.Marcus is gentler but still firm as he settles Lindsey on the saddle.

“Stefan and Karl, you may help your cowgirls onto their horses.”

The two Doms pull their submissives onto the stage and lift them onto their saddles, and both Desiree and Bella carefully maneuver themselves onto the protruding shafts, a look of trepidation coupled with excitement in their eyes as they wait to find out what their incentive is.

“These girls will get reins,” Logan says wickedly, handing a set of nipple clamps to Stefan and Karl.The Doms apply the clamps, and both Desiree and Bella breathe faster, their eyes widening as the chains attached to the clamps are clipped to a bar in front of them, pulling their nipples up and out slightly.

“The last two submissives may mount their horses now,” Logan says.

Roman materializes at my side, nudging me forward.Fingers of panic grip me, and I clutch his arm.“I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can,” he says confidently, lifting me onto the saddle.I’m still wet from his tongue after the calf roping, and I slide easily onto the thick shaft, but it feels intrusive and wrong and not at all like I had imagined Roman would feel inside me when I’d been daydreaming of him just minutes ago.I’m dimly aware of Rebecca taking her place on the horse next to me.

“I don’t want to do this,” I whisper.

But Roman either doesn’t hear me or doesn’t care.With his back to the crowd, he places his lips near my ear, his strong, comforting hands on my shoulders the only thing keeping me from bolting off the saddle.“You’ve been ready for this for two days.You’ve got this, Avalon.”

And then he’s gone, leaving me alone on the stage, although I can see him standing in front of the crowd, his gaze never leaving my face.

“When the bell rings, our cowgirls will start to ride,” Logan says.He turns to us and says, “Submissives, you may begin working yourself up and down on the shaft on your saddle as soon as the first bell rings.The first girl to bring herself to orgasm wins one hundred extra points.However”—he holds up a hand—“a second bell will ring three minutes in.If you come before the second bell rings, you’re disqualified.Do you all understand?”

We all nod, and I realize with a little stab of sadness that Roman hadn’t lost the calf roping because he wanted to please me; he’d sacrificed the battle to win the war, taking the opportunity to make me even more aroused so I’d be able to orgasm faster and win the event.Except his plan backfired, because I’ve never felt less aroused than I do right now.In fact, I feel downright miserable.

“Excellent.”Turning back to the rowdy crowd that has gathered, Logan adds, “As I mentioned, our cowgirls will be encouraged with the incentive of their Dom’s choice.Carly and Lindsey will work both ends as they ride.”Carly’s face pales, but her mouth tightens into a determined line as she grips the pommel.Lindsey looks slightly bored.

“Desiree and Bella will have a little pull on their reins, so to speak, as they ride,” Logan continues wickedly.Bella lifts herself experimentally off the saddle and winces as her nipples are jerked forward with the motion, and there’s a rumble of male laughter.

My heart trips in double time.What about me and Rebecca?I dart a glance at her, but she’s focused on Emmett, looking completely unperturbed.I’m aware of a slight movement behind me, and I turn to see Master Collin, the Dom who’d prepared me for the auction, take his place behind me, holding a barbaric-looking leather-handled whip with a dozen leather strips cascading from it.

“Our final two submissives will receive the more traditional incentive of a whip,” Logan says.“Riders, on your mark, get set, go.”

I look around wildly for Roman.He meets my gaze and mouths again,You’ve got this.

He’s wrong.I don’t have this at all.

The bell rings, and the submissives around me start gyrating their hips, working themselves up and down on their shafts with gusto.Using the pommel of the saddle for leverage, I cautiously shift so the shaft slides in and out of me, but there’s nothing arousing about it.It’s humiliating, and I want to get off the saddle and the stage.I had wanted to feel Roman inside me in the intimacy of our suite, not the violation of this impersonal, thick dildo that’s stretching me almost painfully while a crowd of strangers watches and cheers.

The first lick of the leather tails across my back is shocking, and it hurts.I grit my teeth and continue to move halfheartedly on the shaft.All I have to do is make three minutes and someone’s bound to win, although it sure as hell isn’t going to be me.I can’t wait to get off this fucking saddle.The whip falls across my back again, and I feel the tears gather in my eyes.Don’t let them see you cry.I grit my teeth and move slowly but steadily, fucking myself on the saddle as the leather kisses my upper back, my shoulder blades, and the curve of my ass each time it comes off the saddle.With each thrust of the shaft inside me, I feel myself receding, taking refuge behind the walls that have kept me safe for the last seven years.

I hear the bell ring, alerting us that the requisite three minutes are up, but it doesn’t matter anymore.I’m somewhere else, someplace where I can’t feel anything.I’m dimly aware of Rebecca next to me bringing herself to a loud and shuddering orgasm with a cry of triumph, bliss suffusing her face as the crowd cheers enthusiastically.Several other cries of pleasure echo to my right, but it sounds muffled like I’m in a tunnel.

Then Roman’s there, his strong hands lifting me off the saddle.

“Don’t touch me!”I hiss, pushing away from him.He looks at me bewilderedly.Emmett, who’s standing next to us with Rebecca, takes a step toward me, but Roman stops him.

“See to your own submissive,” he growls.“I’ve got her.”

But he doesn’t.Roman Castile never had me, and he never will.

Emmett looks back and forth between me and Rebecca, clearly torn, and I give him a tremulous smile.“I’m fine,” I say resolutely.He looks unconvinced, but Rebecca quickly claims his attention, and I turn to leave.I just want to get out of here and as far away from Roman as I can.

“Avalon.”Roman tries to grab my arm, but I fling it off as I turn on him angrily.

“Why did you do that to me?”I demand.“Why?I told you I didn’t want that!”

He glances around us and then abruptly grasps my upper arm firmly, half carrying and half dragging me out of the ballroom.I struggle, trying to get away from him, but his grip is like a steel vise.“Not here,” he commands sternly under his breath.“Not with the cameras rolling.I don’t know what the hell you’re so mad about, but I’ll listen to what you have to say once we’re out of here.”

I bite my tongue as we wordlessly take the elevator up to our suite, but once the door closes, I turn to him furiously.

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