Ann Mayburn - Sodom and the Phoenix

Digging in to her dessert, Margo made a sound of bliss that was close to orgasmic. “I really admire you, Tanwen. You have your head on straight, and you’re getting everything you can out of this experience. I wish more women were like you.” She caught Tanwen’s questioning look and gestured toward her with her fork. “You know, not afraid to go after their own pleasure. I have so many friends in the straight world that bitch and moan about their boring sex lives but never do anything about it. But look at you. Not only did you come to a BDSM convention by yourself, but you also found a great master while you’re here to play with. I know some women that would kill to be in your position.”

The more Tanwen thought about it, the more she liked the image that Margo painted of her. It was easy to see herself through the other woman’s eyes as a smart, sensual woman taking charge of her sex life. In fact, maybe she was that woman. Why waste this opportunity on feeling disappointed because Bryan had a history as a playboy? It wasn’t like she’d embarrassed herself by telling him her true feelings. She could still pretend she didn’t want anything more from him than mind-blowing sex.

Maybe she could even use the things she learned from him to explore the local BDSM scene back home. She certainly felt more comfortable with the whole idea now, and to be honest, she really enjoyed the D/s dynamic. It added a whole new level to bedroom play that flat out did it for her. While she might never find a man that made her feel like Bryan did, she at least owed it to herself to try.

The lights above dimmed until each table was only illuminated by the white and red candles that formed the centerpiece of the individual settings. The large sliding wall that divided the ballroom slid back, revealing a stage with a variety of BDSM equipment on it. Benches, cages, and contraptions of bars and straps covered the stage. At each end of the stage, a male and female sub knelt in tiny gold bikinis. They were painted with shimmering gold dust that gave them the illusion of looking like living statues. In their arms, they held enormous sprays of red roses and white lilies.

Arched over the stage was a huge trellis that reminded her of a set of oversize monkey bars. Red roses and white wisteria vines had been woven into the trellis, and as the air from the stage area flooded into the dining room, the fragrance of the flowers blanketed the air. She took a deep breath, delighted by the dichotomy of the fragile and beautiful blossoms and the hard and unforgiving BDSM equipment.

She’d totally forgotten that Bryan had mentioned he was going to do a presentation tonight. As she examined the display, she couldn’t help but wonder what in the world he was going to do. The equipment looked sexual in nature, but she really had no idea how it would actually be used. A flicker of heat raced through her blood as she imagined the things he could do to her with all that equipment. Things that would no doubt end with her being utterly satisfied.

She took a quick bite of her brownie, but her attention was riveted to the stage where the human statues adjusted their position every few minutes, taking new poses that displayed their bodies in a rather erotic manner. The male sub was either stuffing his bathing suit, or he had a dick big enough to satisfy an entire cheerleading squad.

Bryan’s deep voice startled her as he whispered in her ear. “I have to do a presentation in twenty minutes. I want you to do it with me.”

She’d been so caught up in what was happening on the stage, she hadn’t even noticed his return. Her mouth dried out, and she took a drink of her iced water, trying to clear the tang of fear off her pallet. “What kind of presentation, Sir?”

He cocked his head, examining her in a way that made her skin hypersensitive to his gaze. “A public one, up there on the stage.”

While the fantasy of doing just that aroused her, the reality of it made her break out in a cold sweat. She always hated giving speeches and presentations at nursing conferences, and this was so far beyond her comfort level. “Sir, I don’t think I’m ready for doing…stuff in front of people.”

His lips twitched, but his expression remained closed. “Would you rather see me up there with another woman? Watching her submit to me?”

Jealousy tightened her stomach into a hard knot. She knew it was irrational, stupid even, but she would never be the kind of woman that could see her man with someone else and be okay with it. Her rational mind might know he wasn’t “her man,” but for the duration of this vacation, he was, and she’d be darned if she had to sit and watch another woman come alive beneath his touch. Still, there were just so many people here. As she gazed around the crowd, the room seemed to triple in size until it looked to her like a mass of people the size of a football stadium were watching the stage.

“Little flame, you better decide soon, because there are some subs heading this way to beg to be of use to me for my demonstration.”

She followed his gaze and saw a tall and svelte redhead in what looked like a black leather gladiator outfit with the nipples cut out. Next to her, a buxom brunette in a silvery, sheer sarong approached Bryan with an equal look of hunger on her face. The redhead and brunette knelt in the small space by Bryan’s chair.

“Greetings, Master Bryan,” the brunette purred and looked at Bryan through her lashes. “Could I be of service to you this evening?”

Before Bryan could speak, the redhead parted her thighs, revealing that she wore nothing beneath the strips of leather that made up her skirt. Tanwen wanted to throw her napkin at her and tell her to cover up.

“Please allow me to serve you in any way that you wish, Master Bryan.”

He looked at Tanwen, and she blurted out, “I’ll do it.” It was either that or get into a very undignified slapping match with the other women.

His lips twitched in a suppressed smile, and he nodded at the kneeling subs. “Thank you, but I have what I need for the evening. Extend my thanks to your master and mistress for the offer.”

The subs both rose in a smooth and elegant motion. The redhead smiled and made her way back to her table, but the brunette gave Tanwen a dirty look. Before she could move, Bryan grabbed the brunette by the back of her neck and forced her to her knees. “Jasmine, did you just disrespect my sub?”

Jasmine’s lower lip trembled, and she whispered, “Yes, Master Bryan. I’m sorry.”

The woman’s obvious sorrow tugged at Tanwen’s heart, and she placed her hand on his wrist. “Really, Sir, you don’t—”

“Quiet,” Bryan ordered, and Tanwen snatched her hand back and stared at him. The anger in his gaze scared her, but it also made a rush of heat flash through her body.

“Jasmine, go to your master and tell him you are to be beaten for disrespecting my sub, but you aren’t allowed to orgasm.”

Jasmine gaped at him, then stood and hurried off. Bryan turned his attention fully on Tanwen. She tried to lift her chin and meet his gaze, but she couldn’t look him in the eye for more than five seconds before glancing away. The thought of the other woman being beaten because she gave Tanwen a dirty look gave her the courage to say, “Please, I don’t want her to be hurt, Sir.”

He sighed and gathered her hands in his. “Tanwen, Jasmine likes to be beaten. She enjoys the punishment her master gives her. She gave you that snotty look because she knew I would call her on it, and she knew I would order her punished. But I wasn’t going to let her use me to get what she wanted, so I forbade her any release from the beating.”

What he said made sense, in a very demented way. “So she acts out to get attention?”