Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night (3 page)

She nodded.

“Call me if you need anything.” He stood and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. “Anything.”

He stood. He didn’t touch her again. After nodding to the dealer, to Master Xavier, and ignoring Master Trevor, he left the room.

A few seconds later, Master Xavier said, “Game’s over, everyone. I invite you to enjoy the other pleasures at Dark Haven.”

Destiny signaled to the dungeon monitor stationed near the door. Together, she and the man shepherded subs and Doms toward the exit.

Several people stopped to congratulate her temporary dom before they left the room.

Because Master Trevor had yet to give her any instructions, Shelby remained on her knees, her gaze downcast as the noise in the room diminished.

At this point, she realized it was probably a good thing he hadn’t given any commands. Nervousness raced through her body, and she wondered if she’d be able to follow any direction, no matter how simple, he gave her.

“You’re free to go,” Master Xavier said to Destiny and the dungeon monitor.

Without a word, they left.

Master Xavier came over. “I trust this is only about you wanting to play with Shelby,” he said to Master Trevor.

Time seemed to simultaneously drag and zip by. She wanted to be alone with her new dom, but the prospect also frightened her.

“I told Master David the sub is in good hands. You have my word.”

“I expected nothing less,” Master Xavier said.

“We’d like to use the punishment room.”

“Consider it done.”

“My Liege.”

She heard the tone of respect in Master Trevor’s tone, but also the signal that, as far as Master Trevor was concerned, the conversation was over.

Master Xavier’s steps seemed to echo off the wooden floor as he left the room.

The echoing silence, the realization that they were alone, and that for the next seven days she was his sub, suddenly overwhelmed her.

She remained on her knees, her pulse ringing in her ears.

“I want to know about you,” he said. “How much BDSM experience do you have, sub?”

She kept her gaze cast down. “I… Very…” Her voice cracked. She sounded squeaky, lacking her usual confidence. In her job as a high-powered corporate mediator, she spent her days utilizing all her senses to tune into people’s subtle nuances. Even when she wasn’t feeling confident in her abilities, she squared her shoulders and projected authority.

But being on her knees, mostly naked, in front of this powerful man undid her.

“Go on,” he told her.

She cleared her throat and tried again. “Very little, Sir. A handful of experiences.”

“I could have guessed,” he said. “You were given the choice, and you agreed to be my sub for a week. Does that mean you want more experiences?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“I can’t hear you.”

She swallowed. “Yes,” she said again.

Continuing in his soft, probing way that reassured even as it demanded, he asked, “Do you know what that means?”

She could do nothing but look at his boots and be nearly overwhelmed by his presence. He was so close she breathed in his scent, that of crisp ocean air and raw masculine power. “Truthfully? No.”

“You have ideas.”

Who knew if they were close to reality, though?

“Tell me what you’re expecting. Or what you’re hoping.”

The sound of Master Trevor’s voice intoxicated her. It was deep, well modulated, firm, domineering. “I came to San Francisco because I want even more experiences. I’ve wondered…” She trailed off. She and David hadn’t even had this level of conversation. She just went along with what he wanted.

They’d visited Dark Haven a few times, so she’d seen other subs and Doms interact. She’d seen one sub attached to a collar and leash. The man had crawled behind his master and seemed happy to do it. Another female sub had walked in front of her master, her head lowered; her dom’s hand was fisted in her hair. And she did a fair amount of reading. Clearly no two D/s relationships were the same.

But she knew she wanted to experience more spice than she had with David. Their scenes were more like casual interludes with kinky clothes. At the end of the night, he dropped her at her hotel. What would it be like to wake up in the morning and be expected to continue the role of sub?

Master Trevor waited patiently for her answer.

“I have heard that you are harsh but fair.”

“Probably accurate,” he said. “And…?”

“If I am staying with you for a week, I understand you’ll probably have a set of rules you’ll expect me to follow.”

“I do. And if you break a rule?”

“I imagine…” Oh God. Oh
yes
. The idea of his supple brown leather belt against her exposed buttocks definitely made her shiver. The fantasy just got better and hotter.

“Tell me what you just imagined.”

She stalled.

“I don’t tolerate shyness or hiding, sub. Tell me what you just imagined.
Now
.”

“I imagined you…” She exhaled a shaky breath. “I imagined you punishing me.”

“Sir,” he said.

“I imagined you punishing me, Sir.”

“Punishing you how, sub?”

“Your belt.”

“Good to know,” he said. “Shall we begin?”

Chapter Two

Trevor saw her shoulders shake just a little, whether from fear or excitement he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was a combination of both feelings.

Since David had entered the poker room with the sub obediently following, Trevor had been intrigued.

He’d been in the scene a long time. He’d had subs. Twice, he’d even committed to 24-7 lifestyle relationships. But he’d gotten bored. On her way out the door, his last sub had accused him of being jaded.

He’d shrugged. She’d been partially right; he was jaded. But worse than that, he was bored, mind-numbingly, ready-to-change-anything bored.

As far back as high school, he hadn’t been interested in conventional relationships. He’d always been a leader, captain of the football team as well as the debate team. He’d had jobs throughout high school and college, but after graduation, he’d started his own company. For the first two years, he’d lived on packaged noodles and slept in his beat-up pickup truck.

Despite the odds, he’d never given up. Even when his family encouraged him to get a real job, he’d continued to live on fast food so he could spend his meager earnings buying the finest tools available to hone his craft.

In work, in life, in his relationships, his standards were exacting. He asked for what he wanted, and he never settled.

The woman kneeling in front of him did so imperfectly. She allowed her gaze to stray, and she wasn’t subtle about it. She shifted often, letting everyone know of her discomfort. Over the time that he’d watched her, she’d made little pretense at behaving well. She either didn’t know how to suffer for her dom or she’d never had a dom with exacting standards.

Shelby wasn’t the type of sub who would generally draw his eye. He played with experienced women who’d been trained by the best, women who knew his moods better than he did, anticipated his needs, and saw to them.

Perhaps, he reflected, that was exactly why she intrigued him. Her lack of expertise combined with an air of innocence was refreshing. Maybe for the next week, he wouldn’t be bored. “Stand.”

She rose slowly and a bit unsteadily, as if nervous and fighting cramped muscles.

“Do you want me to call you Shelby?”

“Yes,” she said.

He cocked his head.

“Shelby is fine, Sir. Thank you.”

She was a hot little number, no doubt. Shelby Salazar’s dark hair flowed over her shoulders. The vest and bolo tie were sexy, white leather chaps wrapped around her slender legs. The feminine pink thong she’d added provided a splash of color and a hint of intrigue.

He was man enough to appreciate the way the white and splash of pink complemented her tanned skin, and he was more than man enough to appreciate those sexy, stylish boots. Rather than cowboy boots, she’d chosen soft black leather with a spiky heel. Testosterone surged in his bloodstream. It had been a while since he’d had such a raw reaction to a woman. Master Xavier’s Western-themed night had been a brilliant idea. “Turn around.”

She did, exposing her bare buttocks. He looked forward to stroking the flesh there and holding her cheeks apart while he took her anally.

“Nice. Spread your legs and bend over.”

For a moment, she hesitated. He suddenly looked forward to helping her improve her reaction time.

“Grab your ankles.”

“I…”

“Is there a physical reason you can’t do what I asked?”

“No…Sir.”

“I don’t tolerate embarrassment in my subs, Shelby.”

She slowly complied.

“Legs farther apart,” he said softly but uncompromisingly.

She wiggled on those sexy heels. It took her several seconds to get into position, and he enjoyed every moment spent watching.

Trevor took a few steps toward her. He heard the soft sounds of her rapid breaths.

He crouched behind her and said, “Reach back, sub, and spread your ass cheeks.”

It took her so long to respond that he wondered if she actually would. Since she was bent over, he could see her eyes, wide and blinking. A little furrow was buried between her elegantly shaped brows.

Her breaths were even shallower. He wondered if she were on the edge of panic. “You’re okay,” he told her. “Just listen to me. Stay focused. Know that it’s okay to surrender. I’ll keep you safe.” If she truly panicked, he’d let her go.

Even though Xavier kept the club warm, she shivered.

He gentled his fingertips down her back. “Go for what you want, Shelby.” He kept his tone even and reassuring but also uncompromising. “I want you to know that when you do what I tell you, when you push past your comfort zone and do something that you might think is nasty, you’ll be pleasing me. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

Then, commandingly, uncompromisingly, he snapped, “Now show me your submissive ass and cunt.”

After several seconds and another half dozen shaky exhalations, she closed her eyes and reached back. In the future, he wouldn’t permit her to close her eyes.

“Gorgeous,” he said. And she was. She’d painted her fingernails a striking red. The sight of the bold color nails against her gorgeous olive skin made his cock throb. He hadn’t had a sub, or any woman, in months. Suddenly he wanted to take her fast and hard, possess her, claim her, mark her as his. “Stand up slowly and turn to face me.”

She complied, taking her time. Her motions had a bit more elegance to them. She learned quickly.
Beautiful.

“Look at me,” he told her.

She did, but then she instinctively looked down.

Good
. “When I give you an instruction, it supersedes previous direction.” Quietly he repeated, “Look at me, Shelby.”

She did. Maybe he’d ask her to do that more often. Her green eyes were lovely, wide, unblinking, no pretence, no artifice. “I want to make a few things clear, Shelby. You are free to leave anytime you wish over the next week. I don’t keep submissives against their will. Just say the word and I’ll have a driver at your disposal. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” she said.

“But if you’re curious, if you want to experience more, you’ll need to push yourself, and you’ll need to trust me. That will take time, but I have the patience, if you do. I will take you past every inhibition, every fear. At the end of the week, you’ll feel no more embarrassment, and you’ll respond perfectly to my commands. By freeing yourself, you’ll find out what you really enjoy, what you really want. It’s up to you, Shelby. You came to San Francisco for a reason. Go for it, and you may get everything out of your trip that you hope to.”

“I…” She trailed off and frowned.

She might be innocent, but she knew at least the basics, whether she normally practiced them or not. “Permission to speak,” he said.

“I want it.” She licked her lower lip. “I want to have this experience.”

He had an image of her tongue against the tip of his cock. His pulse throbbed. He’d told her he had patience. Suddenly he wasn’t so sure. “Even if it means you’ll be punished as part of your training?”

“Yes. I’m just nervous.”

“Nerves, we can work with,” he told her. “Lies, lying to yourself, lying to me, won’t be tolerated.”

She nodded.

“How do you normally deal with fear?”

She exhaled. “By jumping in with both feet, Sir. Like getting in a swimming pool where the water is too cold. I plug my nose and jump.”

He appreciated her answer. “We’re going to move to one of the punishment rooms.” The room had a spanking horse. Definitely fitting for the club’s Western night theme. Master Xavier and his team really did think of all details when they put together these events. “You’ll follow me there, staying approximately three feet behind me. I want your gaze downcast, but I want you paying complete attention to what I do. If I stop, you stop, staying three feet back. If I point to the floor, I want you to instantly kneel with your knees approximately shoulder-width apart. If I walk faster, you speed up. Any questions?”

She shook her head.

“When I ask a question, Shelby, I expect an answer, unless you are gagged or otherwise instructed not to speak. I demand honest and immediate answers.”

A beautiful blush highlighted her cheekbones.

“No questions, Sir.”

“Follow me.” He led the way to the door and out into a common area of the club. A few curious people turned their direction, and he wondered how his new sub would behave. He probably should have requested a leash and collar for her.

She did well, keeping her eyes downcast and staying behind him.

He stopped once, as a test.

She immediately stopped.

When he pointed to the floor, she knelt.

He left her there, kneeling, for at least thirty seconds before slowly walking around her. Other people walked past and one domme gave Shelby an appreciative glance. He didn’t blame the woman. Honestly, he had a difficult time keeping his gaze off her. She was an enchanting woman, with striking outfit and the mass of riotous black hair framing her face and falling over her shoulders.