Sierra Cartwright - Doms of Dark Haven

Xavier nodded and walked away. No frivolous conversation for him.

And that left her with Master Simon. The sinking feeling in her stomach hadn't improved.

“Did you enjoy your tour, lass?” he asked politely.

Lass . Her grandfather from Glasgow had called her that, but coming from this utterly confident man, it made her feel funny—young and uncertain. And pretty.

“Yes. It's an interesting place.” He wanted to have a normal conversation with her standing here in chains?

“Have you tried BDSM before? At home, perhaps?”

On second thought, let's go back to normal . Her hands gripped the chains. “No.

Never.”

He stroked a finger across the nape of her neck, just under her bun. “Then I will give you your first lesson.”

“But…why? Why me?” Every woman who walked by this man cast longing looks his way. I'm not young. Or thin. Or gorgeous.

“You, lass, have a self-image problem.”

Well, that might be a little true, but she also had a mirror. It wasn't that she was ugly; it was that the competition was far too beautiful. And young. “Simon, I—”

His eyes narrowed, and her insides melted like ice cream on a sunny day. “I don't think I want you calling me Simon. Not in the club or when you're restrained…or in my bed.”

The surge of excitement at the thought of being in his bed went all the way to her fingertips. And he'd done that deliberately, hadn't he? She sucked in a breath.

Keep your head in the game . “What would you prefer?”

“You may call me 'Sir' or 'Master Simon.'” He brushed his fingers down her cheek. “I believe, for you, I'd permit a simple 'Master.'”

Master ? No, that sounded way over-the-top. She shook her head.

“Oh, I think you will,” he murmured. “Now let's talk about what I see when I look at you.”

Oh, let's not.

“First, you're not twenty…or even thirty.” Almost absently, he removed one of the hairpins holding her bun in place, ignored her frown, and removed another.

“But I like a woman with some life experience, one who isn't at the mercy of her emotions, and where a missed date or an argument doesn't constitute the ending of the world.”

Remembering her son Eric's last meltdown when his new girlfriend had stood him up, Rona laughed.

“There, now. That's lovely,” Simon said. Somehow the heat in his eyes slid right into her body. He ran a hand over her upper arm and squeezed gently. “I think muscles on a woman are beautiful, but I enjoy softness in my bed. And under me.”

Everything he said sent more urgency curling through her body, and she lowered her gaze. “Well.” Good grief, when had she become so inarticulate? She facilitated meetings full of prima donna doctors, for God's sake. She straightened her shoulders and gave him a level look. “I'm pleased that you—”

“Yes.” He smiled at her. “Yes, that's exactly what I mean by experience. You don't crumple easily.” Another pin slid out of her hair. “Rona, it is your choice, but I would be pleased to introduce you to whatever elements of BDSM interest you.”

The man was smooth and dangerous, just like she'd thought. But oh so tempting. Her eyes dropped to his leather bag filled with…things, and a shiver ran through her. Let him do…something?

His lips curved. “Ah, now that was a yes.” He pulled the last pin out, and her dark blonde hair fell down around her shoulders in a wavy mess. He tucked her pins into his vest pocket and raked his fingers through her hair. Each small tug sent tingles down her spine. “We will talk, and you can tell me what you like.”

“Uh-huh.” Tell him her fantasies? Not going to happen.

He stopped, and his finger under her chin lifted her gaze to his. “Rona, first rule of a Dom-sub relationship: you share your thoughts, openly and honestly, hiding nothing.”

“I don't know you.”

“True. But you've heard me vouched for. You're attracted to me. Can you trust me enough to share what you found interesting in the club so far? Is that asking too much?”

She hadn't felt so cornered since the OR nurses had stormed her office about an instrument-throwing surgeon. “No. I can do that.”

“Excellent. Considering your current position, obviously you find bondage and public display acceptable.” He set his hand on her nape, his thumb curving around the side of her neck. His keen eyes focused on her face. “BDSM includes other pleasures. Like flogging.”

As he'd done to that woman?

The laugh lines beside his mouth deepened. “Your pulse sped up. Excellent.”

“Whipping.”

She flinched. Earlier, she'd seen a dom use a long whip to create horrible red stripes on his victim. “No.”

“Plain, bare-assed, bare-handed spankings.”

She swallowed at the thought of being over a man's—Master Simon's—knees.

Her fantasy list definitely needed revision. “Um, maybe.”

“So everything except the whip.” He nodded. “Then there's hot wax.” He paused. “Piercing.”

Needles? For fun? Hell no . She tried to pull away, and his hand gripped the back of her neck firmly. “Gently, lass. I'd say the wax is a maybe, but any piercing is a hard no. Is that right?”

Did he read everyone this easily or just her? She nodded.

His eyes crinkled, and then he brushed her mouth with his. His lips lingered, firm and velvety, and without any thought on her part, she tilted her head back for more.

“You are a sweet one,” he murmured and took her face between his hands, holding her as his mouth urged hers open. He kissed her slowly. Deeply.

Thoroughly.

With her wrists restrained, she was at his mercy, and the knowledge sent anticipation humming through her system.

He lifted his head to look at her for a long moment, then smiled and kissed her again until every drop of blood pooled in her lower half. Her body throbbed for more.

He moved a fraction of an inch back and caressed her cheek. “Where did I leave off? Ah, there are a variety of toys for fun like…a dildo. A vibrator. An anal plug.”

Just the thought of someone using those on her made her squirm. “Maybe.”

One side of his mouth curved up in a slight smile. “That was more than a maybe, lass. Have you ever used an anal plug?”

Her backside tensed, but with her hands chained over her head, she couldn't cover…anything. “No.”

“I look forward to seeing your reaction. Did you happen to see the cupping earlier?”

Oh, she'd definitely seen that one. “Yes.” Her voice came out husky.

He raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. And where else do you think a master might apply those cups?”

The dom had put them on his sub's back, but she'd imagined them on her nipples or even…on her clit. A wave of heat rolled into her face, as inevitable as the sun in summer.

He chuckled. “I'll enjoy that almost as much as you will.”

“I didn't say yes.” She hadn't, dammit.

“You didn't have to.” He grasped the ribbon at the top of her chemise and pulled it open. Her nipples puckered.

“How about electrical play?”

All too aware of the warmth of his hand just above her breasts, she tried to concentrate on what he'd asked. “Electrical play?” She shook her head, then remembered the TENS unit a chiropractor had used on her sore back. Could those electrodes be placed elsewhere? Her vagina clenched, making her aware of how wet she'd become.

“Oh yes.” The glint in his eyes made her stomach twist uneasily.

She swallowed. “Why so many questions for just one time?”

“There's always another time, pet. One more question.” He studied her face as he ran his knuckles down the cleavage her chemise now exposed, and the closer his hand came to her breasts, the more her nipples tightened. “How about sex?”