Dark Citadel

Chapter Four

Dan felt Kari's heart pound as his fingers stroked her full breasts. He could also feel the way her nipples tightened. Arousal flushed her neck. No question, the little miss was submissive.

But so new. Just as well she had no idea how much control it took to not open those tiny buttons, slide his hand under her bra, stroke her soft skin, and roll her nipples between his fingers. And that would be just the beginning. Bending her over one of the couches, exposing her ass, and—

“There's a small problem with this type of bondage, however,” Master Raoul stated.

Wrenching his mind back to business, Dan responded to the cue. He scooped Kari off her feet, enjoying the tiny squeal she gave. Kneeling, he laid her on her back on the floor and straddled her thighs. Her eyes were huge as she stared up at him.

“As you can see, she's lying on her arms, an uncomfortable position for a sub, especially if you plan to be on top of her.” Raoul grinned.

Dan rose and set Kari back on her feet. The deep breath of relief she took made him chuckle.

“Thank you, Kari and Master Dan,” Raoul said. “Now someone may volunteer for the next demonstration, or I will pick two people myself.” A middle-aged couple stepped forward, and Raoul talked them through leg restraints.

Dan put his arm around Kari, enjoying her tiny squirms as she tested the cuffs every few seconds.

“You can take these off now,” she whispered, giving him an annoyed look.

Those flashes of temper could drive a Dom crazy thinking of the various enjoyable ways to punish them. Again, she was too new, no serious disciplining allowed. But since she was still frowning up at him, her mouth was perfectly positioned, and he didn't resist. Tightening his grip on her waist, he kissed her. After a second of resistance, her lips softened, and his tongue plunged inside. He took her mouth thoroughly, as he wished he could take the rest of her before the night ended. Her quivering response made his blood boil and his cock strain to be set free.

With a regretful sigh, he pulled back, moving to stand beside her. One hand rested on her shoulder, strategically placed to feel her body's responses to the rest of the toys Raoul brought out. By the time Raoul finished the lesson, every beginner Dom had restrained a sub in one way or another, and Dan had discovered Kari was turned on by leg restraints also. Good to know.

Now the single students paired off, and everyone wandered through the club to practice what they'd learned. With beginners locked out of the private rooms upstairs, he and Kari were stuck down here too.

He remembered a relatively isolated area, though, near the back of the room and well hidden behind a bunch of foliage. He beckoned to a trainee. “Sally, run over and put a RESERVED sign on the sitting area to the left of the theme rooms.”

The trainee laughed as she shook her head in disapproval. “Shame on you. That's cheati—” She shut her mouth quickly, several words too late.

Kari frowned as the barmaid dropped to her knees before Master Dan. The pretty brunette looked mortified and a bit frightened as she whispered, “I'm sorry, Master Dan.”

Master Dan's expression hardened into stone. “I've lost patience with your lack of control over your tongue. Show me your bands,” he snapped.

Sally held out her arms. Each wrist held a narrow leather cuff wrapped with yellow, blue, and green ribbons.

“First, do as I asked. Then report to Master Cullen and inform him you are to be given to a DM for spanking and his use. Are my instructions clear?”

Sally's eyes widened, and her outstretched hands trembled. “Yes, Sir.”

“Go.”

After pushing to her feet, the brunette escaped, almost tripping in her haste to get away.

Kari stared up at Master Dan, horror chilling her body. “Did you just give her to a stranger? Just like that?”

He turned. The coldness disappeared from his expression as if it had never been. “Ah, Kari. Sally is another sub in training. This is part of her instruction.”

“But a spanking? And…use?” She had a pretty good idea what use meant. Dear God. Kari stepped back. She really didn't know this man at all.

Her hands were still cuffed, she realized with a jolt of fear.

“Dan—oops—Master Dan, I mean.” A pretty blonde in tight jeans and an emerald green, low-cut blouse hurried up. “Z wants you to join him for a few minutes, if you could. Something about a club membership.”

“Of course.” Master Dan turned to Kari, and she took another step back. His eyes narrowed before he turned to the blonde. “Jessica, I disciplined Sally for mouthing off, and now Kari's terrified. She's probably convinced I'm a white slave trader. Can you stay with her and reassure her while I'm gone?”

“Only if you'll agree to join us for supper next Friday.”

“Works for me. Sure.” Pinning Kari in place with a hard look, he closed the distance between them. He stroked a finger down her cheek, sending a thrill through her.

She swallowed hard, unable to look away from his penetrating gaze. The man had just scared her spitless, so why did his touch still make her all quivery inside?

He smiled, as if he could feel her response. After unhooking her hands from behind her back, he strode off toward the front of the room. Tall, straight shouldered, gorgeous—and more frightening than Hannibal Lector. She was in way over her head here.

“Ready for some female company?” the blonde asked, following her gaze.

“I would be very grateful.” Kari stuck a hand out. “I'm Kari, and what you'd call a newbie, I guess.”

The woman took her hand, gave a strong squeeze. Like Sally, she wore leather cuffs. Fur-lined, but lacking any ribbons. “I'm Jessica, and I'm past newbie status, but I haven't been in the scene very long. Let's have a drink and talk.”

The circular bar was nearly deserted with only two beginners hovering at one end, and three dungeon monitors at the other. Kari slid onto a wooden stool beside Jessica.

In the center, the giant bartender concocted a fancy drink, humming to the soft music of Pachelbel's “Canon.” In dark brown leathers that matched his thick hair, he had a rough face of blunt angles and a solid jaw. After delivering the drink to a newbie, he sauntered over to Kari and Jessica.

Leaning a big arm on the bar top, he gave Kari a long, slow look that made heat rise in her cheeks. “Little subbie, do you want another rum and Diet Coke?”

Would speaking get her in the same kind of trouble as Sally? What were the darned rules in this place? “Just Coke, please.”

He didn't yell at her. Instead, he turned to Jessica. “Margarita?”

“Yes, thank you, Master Cullen.”

His laugh boomed through the bar. “So formal. Setting a good example for your friend?”

Jessica grinned.

Master Cullen set the drinks in front of them, gave Kari another of those looks, and left to take another order. Her face heated. Jeez. With a rueful smile, she glanced at Jessica. “I swear, I've spent most of my time here blushing. And sometimes I'm not even sure why.”

Jessica laughed. “If you mean Cullen, some of the more powerful Doms can make you turn red just by looking at you.”

“Well, no wonder then.” This place was obviously littered with strong Doms. Her mind turned back to what had caused the worry gnawing away in her stomach. “Tell me about Sally. When she messed up, Master Dan gave her to some Dom—any Dom—to use. That seems like almost rape.”

“But it's not.” Jessica held up her wrist. “Did you see the ribbons on her cuffs?”

Kari nodded.

“They show what kind of activities a trainee is into. Red for serious sadomasochism, yellow for milder pain like spankings, blue for bondage, and green for sex. If she had a green ribbon, she was all right with being given to any Dom here.”

“Oh.” Wow. What would that be like, to be just handed over to someone? Kari took a hefty gulp of her drink, wondering if she should have had the rum.

“This place can be overwhelming. The first time I was here, I just wanted shelter during a storm. I didn't know it was a BDSM club. There was all this stuff going on.” She rolled her eyes. “I got in so much trouble…”

Kari grinned. “Tell me more.”

“Next class, I'll give you the full story. For now, how do I convince you that Master Dan's not a white slave trader?”

“Uh. It helps knowing he didn't do something that Sally wasn't expecting, I guess.” Kari frowned. But now that he wasn't touching her, looking at her, she was starting to have second thoughts. Did she really want to continue? All the other beginners were off in dark corners practicing that bondage stuff, and Master Dan would be expecting to do that with her. And he wasn't any beginner. A little thrill ran through her at the thought of his big hands on her, and she squashed it down. “But I don't know him, and to let him tie me up or something seems insane.”

“I understand completely. What can I tell you about him…” Jessica tapped a finger against her chin as she thought. “He and Master Z are friends, and he's been a club member for years. He used to come with his wife, but she died, and he hasn't been seriously involved with anyone since. Z said he's changed; apparently he used to laugh a lot more. He helps with the beginners, and you certainly aren't the first new sub he's taken under command. Oh, and the subs say he's one of the best Doms in the place.”

Kari breathed out. Was she pleased or unhappy with this information? Knowing he was a respectable Dom—and didn't that sound like a contradiction in terms—meant she had no excuse to back out. And she both wanted to and didn't want to stop, before anything got more intense. She sighed and finished her drink.

“It's scary stuff when you're not used to it.” Jessica pursed her lips and gave Kari a wry look. “And even when you are used to it. If you have a good Dom, that sense of uneasiness can be pretty exciting.”

Kari glanced toward the front and saw the group of dungeon monitors reentering the room. Master Dan's gaze scanned the room. When his eyes came to rest on her, the floor seemed to drop a few inches, leaving her dizzy. Apparently, his look was even more potent than the other Doms.

He strode over to the bar, his gait long and powerful, and stood so close she could feel the heat radiate off his body. He smiled at Jessica. “Thank you for staying with her,” he said. “Kari, did she answer your questions?”

Kari nodded.

His hand tilted her chin up so he could look directly in her eyes. “Do I have your trust? Do you want to continue?”

She bit back the yes that wanted to escape from her lips. Think, Kari. But she knew the answer, and it wasn't changing. “He's one of the best,” Jessica said. That must be better than blundering around with beginners. “Yes,” she said. “Continue.” Oh God, was she insane?

She glanced at Jessica, and her uncertainty must have shown.

Jessica gave her a sympathetic look. “I'll get back to Z then.” She shook her finger at Master Dan. “You be nice to her.”

Master Dan frowned. “If you were mine, I'd beat you more often.”

Appalled, Kari sucked in a breath and then saw a smile pull at his lips, the gleam of laughter in his eyes.

And Jessica only laughed as she slid off the stool and moved away.

Grasping Kari around the waist with hard hands, Master Dan lifted her off the stool and set her on her feet. Startled, she clung to his arms for a second, getting her balance. “All right, Kari. Here are the rules for the rest of the evening. You do what I say. Immediately. Without arguing. You don't speak unless I ask you a question. If you say anything, it had better be 'yes, Sir.' You will address me as either Sir or Master Dan.”

His voice roughened. “What do you say to me, little sub?”

Startled, she jerked, then bit her lip before answering slowly, “Yes, Sir.”

“Very nice. Now let's see if I remember where we were before the lessons started.” He pulled her closer. And closer until she was plastered against his body, her breasts flattened on his wide chest. He bent, taking her mouth gently, tipping her back until she grabbed his shoulders for balance. He held her easily while he plundered her lips, his tongue plunging into her mouth until her head swam. When he pulled back, her hands were buried in his hair. With a laugh, he set a hand on her bottom to press her against a hard erection. “This is what that soft, hot mouth of yours does to me,” he whispered in her ear.

Her insides flared with heat.

Clamping an arm around her waist, he led her to the back of the room. They passed roped-off areas along the wall, each with a different piece of ominous-looking equipment: benches, something that looked like a sawhorse with a shelf on each side, a massive wooden X against the wall. Some had shackles and cuffs, and Kari's eyes widened as she tried to imagine how a person would be attached.

Master Dan smiled slowly. “Next time, you will see more of the equipment. And use some of it.”

Oh…my. She imagined herself cuffed to the bench or on that thing against the wall, and her lower regions actually tingled. “Um. Where are we going?”

They went past a small island of plants, and he turned into a sitting area with a couch and chairs. A coffee table had the requested RESERVED sign on it. “Right here. This is as private as we're going to get tonight.” He pulled her down onto the couch beside him and gripped her shoulders. “All right, Kari. What's your safe word?” he asked.

Kari looked up at him. His face was serious, the humor gone. And she was alone with him.