Ann Mayburn - Sodom and the Phoenix

Michelle gave Luke her seat and sat down next to Tanwen on the bed. “You are going to love the zoo.”

“Great, though I have no idea why a bunch of BDSM fans would want to go to a virtual zoo.”

Luke gave a chuckle that could only be described as evil. “Bryan didn’t tell you anything about it?”

“No, not at all.” She glanced at Michelle. “Should I be scared?”

Michelle shook her head and gave Tanwen’s shoulder a squeeze. “Nope. It really is beyond amazing. I envy you. I’ll be joining in during the evening run of the simulation. So far the network can only handle two hundred guests at a time without crashing. You’ll have three hours to play before the next group comes through.”

“Michelle, can you come here for a sec? I think I have the perfect avatar for her. Maeve couldn’t decide what she wanted to be. This is one of the costumes we made for her that she ended up not picking, but it’s still really hot.”

With a sway to her hips, Michelle strode over to the computer and leaned down, blocking Tanwen’s view. “That is fantastic and perfect for her.”

The bed creaked beneath her as Tanwen leaned so far forward she almost slid off in her efforts to see the screen. “What’s an avatar?”

Luke’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “The image you wear in the VR world, like a costume but better. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so lie back, and we’ll get you into the simulation.”

Tanwen was tempted to stick her tongue out at him, but she did what she was told and lay back on the soft silk of the bed. As the top hissed shut, anticipation hummed through her body, and her nipples drew to hard points. She had no idea what waited for her on the other side, but as long as Bryan was with her, she knew it would be an experience to remember.

As she drifted to the sound of soft woodwinds being played from the speakers in the pod, she considered that thought. One of the things she missed about her marriage was sharing things with someone else. Exploring the world on her own was certainly freeing and fun, but she also liked having another person to share those memories with. Everyone told her she would get over the feeling of being lonely by herself, that she would come to value her solitary independence, but she missed having a steady man in her life.

Her first VR experience had certainly been enhanced by Bryan’s presence. At dinner she’d found herself remembering something about their time together and her whole body would grow warm. Even though they hadn’t spoken of it much, their VR excursion had flavored their interaction with a delicious spice of eroticism and allowed her to somewhat relax around him. Mind-blowing sex had a way of breaking down barriers and forming a bond, no matter how casual the encounter was supposed to be. At least with her it did.

Though with Bryan it was probably just another notch in his dom belt. She should be flattered he even wanted to spend time with her. Considering the envious looks she got at dinner last night from the other subs, she had a feeling Bryan would never be lacking in female company. Since he had such a sense of honor, maybe he was just with her because he’d promised he would be, but he really wanted to be with someone else.

She certainly didn’t have much to offer in the kinky sex department. Anxiety made her fidget on the bed. After this simulation, she should let him know it was okay if he wanted to be with someone else for the remainder of his vacation. After all, he didn’t come here to babysit a middle-aged woman who was obviously having some type of sexual midlife crisis.

Bryan had to resist the urge to pace as he waited for Tanwen to appear in her cage. All around him, Belle Isle spread out in stunning VR perfection on an amazingly beautiful early summer day. The island had been turned into a kinkster’s delight by the dedicated staff of Sodom’s VR department. Fluffy white clouds drifted across a sky so blue it almost glowed, and the scent of the river carried on the soft breeze. The sunlight warmed his bare back, and he was glad he’d decided to go shirtless. True, he’d mainly gone shirtless in an effort to show Tanwen what he had to offer, but he’d be sweating like a whore in church if he’d worn the leather shirt he’d originally planned. Or would he? The other doms dressed in full latex and leather didn’t seem to be suffering from the heat, so he wondered if the VR technology allowed the body to be comfortable at all times.

He and a group of masters and mistresses stood together at the edge of the river around a group of wrought-iron benches. He nodded at some friends, then took a seat. Overhead a giant trellis was festooned with honeysuckle flowers that shimmered and sparkled like jewels. In the real world, the restoration of the park was one of the owners of the Sodom resort’s personal projects. If the real Belle Isle Zoo looked anything like this, Bryan could see why Luke, along with his husband and wife, had fought so hard to save it from the urban decay that had threatened to consume it in the 1980s and ’90s.

As he scanned the part of Belle Isle visible from his bench, he tried to superimpose the images of the run-down zoo he’d seen from the brochure he’d read while waiting for his VR therapist to load up his simulation. Instead of crumbling buildings and rusty signs, the zoo sparkled as if it had just been built. All the proceeds from today’s VR event would go toward the rehabilitation of Belle Isle and creating jobs to maintain and upkeep the new zoo, aquarium, and conservatory.

His thoughts turned to Tanwen, and he couldn’t wait to share this with her, to explore all the hidden wonders of this BDSM playground. He’d fallen asleep last night thinking about her, after he’d jacked off to the fantasy of pulling that pink dress over her head, pressing her chest down into that strawberry dessert at dinner, and fucking the hell out of her. Something he couldn’t wait to do again, to claim her in the most primal way possible as his woman.

He could have been with any number of willing partners after dinner, but none of them captured his interest as much as Tanwen. Oh, he’d appreciated their beauty and their willingness to serve, but the only cheeks he wanted to see flushing pink with desire were Tanwen’s. He’d also noticed how the other doms had watched her leave the table, and he put the word out that she was his sub and hands off, even if she wasn’t wearing his collar. Some of his long-time friends had been rather surprised by him staking a claim on her. They were used to his casual relationships where, if his partner wanted someone else, he’d just cut her loose. With Tanwen he’d found someone worth fighting for, and he wasn’t quite sure about how to deal with his unexpected possessive side.

Part of him worried about the strength of his feelings for the beautiful little sub. He hadn’t reacted to a woman like this since his wife passed, and he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit guilty. He knew Katie had wanted him to find love again—she’d told him as much from her hospital bed—but it seemed almost unfair to her memory that he found another woman who stirred the same feelings in him he thought had died with his wife.

As he gazed out over the river, he considered that for the first time in years, he found himself liking a woman on all levels, not just the physical or emotional. Though he’d only known her for a brief time, he could see Tanwen was the kind of woman he would enjoy being around, the kind of woman he could have deep conversations with, followed by steamy hot sex. His imagination showed him Tanwen curled up in his bed, snuggled against him as they slept together. A sharp ache went through his heart, and he realized that despite all his girlfriends, he never actually saw them as more than a distraction from his loneliness rather than a cure.