Nora swallowed a groan of frustration. He loved punishing her by withholding himself. Instead of taking her, he’d merely marked his territory. Bastard. Søren pulled away as she yanked her skirt back down and turned to face him.
“Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let’s talk, shall we, little one?”
“What did I do now?” she demanded. “Obviously I’m in trouble…again.”
A quiver of tension shot through her as Søren raised a single finger and ran it from under her ear, down her neck and across her naked shoulder. He leaned forward and whispered.
“Deep trouble.”
* * *
Zach sat next to Griffin on one of the barstools. He tried not to appear too gauche next to this unabashedly half-naked young man.
“So what do you think of our little acre of Hell?” Griffin asked, reaching over the bar to grab a bottle of water.
Zach glanced around—he saw naked flesh and leather wherever he looked. A young woman wearing not much more than her pale pink collar and cuffs sat at the feet of a slightly older man. The man said something to the girl and she nodded obediently. She tucked her toes under and rose straight up off the floor just the way Nora had in the kitchen that day. Suddenly Zach didn’t see the girl but a younger Nora. And in place of the older man was Søren smiling darkly down at her as she sat on the floor at his feet.
“Nora and Søren…how long were they together?” Zach asked, barely hearing Griffin’s question.
“He owned her about ten years, I think.” Griffin twisted the cap of his water and took a drink. “But she told me she’s known him since she was fifteen. Love at first sight, apparently. For both of them.”
“Ten years…” Zach couldn’t wrap his mind around it. His own marriage had lasted ten years. “She said he’s a sadist. I assume she means he’s…”
“A sadist,” Griffin said simply. “He’s sexually aroused by inflicting pain and humiliation. And he’s phenomenal at it. The Pope there is Machiavelli’s wet dream.”
“Phenomenal? It doesn’t seem that difficult to hurt someone.”
Griffin scoffed. “Look, any jackass with a baseball bat can beat up somebody in the street and in five seconds they’re begging for it to stop. Søren can beat you up and in five minutes you’re begging him to never stop. That’s his gift.”
“He’s a priest. A Catholic priest. He has vows—”
“Which he doesn’t break except with Nora, as far as I know. A Catholic priest who only has sex with one consenting adult woman? Jesus, they’ll probably make him a bishop. Real sadists don’t need to f**k. They need to f**k you up.”
“I can’t believe Nora could stay with someone who hurt her for so long. She’s so…”
“Dominant? Yeah, she’s one helluva Switch. She’s as dominant now as she used to be submissive. You wouldn’t recognize her if you saw her six years ago. Of course you wouldn’t see her face anyway because it’d be buried in his lap.”
Zach had started to take a drink of his gin and tonic but he set his glass down again.
“He forced her to do that in public?”
“Hell, yeah. Fucked her a few times in public, too. Well, not public—private parties. I got invited once. The only time I ever got to top that woman. One of the best nights of my life. He beat her, f**ked her, passed her around. He and King would tag team her a lot. Most dominant thing you can do is give your submissive to someone else to play with.”
“Nora allowed that?”
Griffin choked on a laugh and turned to meet Zach eye to eye. “Allowed it? Man, she f**king loved it.”
Zach shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Who would enjoy being treated like that?”
“Believe what you want. All the submissives down here would sell their souls to belong to him. That’s why he’s number one. He’s the real thing. He doesn’t play to get laid. And he doesn’t do it for money like some people. He does it for pure sadistic pleasure.”
“But Nora…why does she do it?”
“Lots of reasons. But for him mainly.”
“Surely he doesn’t approve of her being a Dominant.”
Griffin gave him a sidelong smile. “What? You never pulled the ponytail of the little girl you liked on the playground? This is his playground,” Griffin said, sweeping his arm out to indicate the bar and the writhing pit below. “He’d never allow anyone but him to own her. So if she wants to play on his playground, she does it as a Domme. He doesn’t like it but he won’t stop it. Still loves her too much.”
Zach turned his head and saw the young woman in the pale pink collar return to her master. With her eyes and head lowered she presented him a glass of wine. The man set the glass of wine aside, took her by the hair and pulled her face between his legs. Zach tried to look away but found he couldn’t. The man leaned his head back in arrogant bliss as the girl wrapped her lips and tongue around him.
“God, I love it here,” Griffin said, and Zach could hear arousal in his voice. “I’ve gotta get a sub.”
Zach tried to ignore how aroused he was becoming by watching the girl. The man dug his fingers into the back of the girl’s neck as his hips twitched. Zach wrenched his gaze away as he finally let the girl go.
“Nora and Søren were just like that?” Zach asked, still in shock.
“Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let’s talk, shall we, little one?”
“What did I do now?” she demanded. “Obviously I’m in trouble…again.”
A quiver of tension shot through her as Søren raised a single finger and ran it from under her ear, down her neck and across her naked shoulder. He leaned forward and whispered.
“Deep trouble.”
* * *
Zach sat next to Griffin on one of the barstools. He tried not to appear too gauche next to this unabashedly half-naked young man.
“So what do you think of our little acre of Hell?” Griffin asked, reaching over the bar to grab a bottle of water.
Zach glanced around—he saw naked flesh and leather wherever he looked. A young woman wearing not much more than her pale pink collar and cuffs sat at the feet of a slightly older man. The man said something to the girl and she nodded obediently. She tucked her toes under and rose straight up off the floor just the way Nora had in the kitchen that day. Suddenly Zach didn’t see the girl but a younger Nora. And in place of the older man was Søren smiling darkly down at her as she sat on the floor at his feet.
“Nora and Søren…how long were they together?” Zach asked, barely hearing Griffin’s question.
“He owned her about ten years, I think.” Griffin twisted the cap of his water and took a drink. “But she told me she’s known him since she was fifteen. Love at first sight, apparently. For both of them.”
“Ten years…” Zach couldn’t wrap his mind around it. His own marriage had lasted ten years. “She said he’s a sadist. I assume she means he’s…”
“A sadist,” Griffin said simply. “He’s sexually aroused by inflicting pain and humiliation. And he’s phenomenal at it. The Pope there is Machiavelli’s wet dream.”
“Phenomenal? It doesn’t seem that difficult to hurt someone.”
Griffin scoffed. “Look, any jackass with a baseball bat can beat up somebody in the street and in five seconds they’re begging for it to stop. Søren can beat you up and in five minutes you’re begging him to never stop. That’s his gift.”
“He’s a priest. A Catholic priest. He has vows—”
“Which he doesn’t break except with Nora, as far as I know. A Catholic priest who only has sex with one consenting adult woman? Jesus, they’ll probably make him a bishop. Real sadists don’t need to f**k. They need to f**k you up.”
“I can’t believe Nora could stay with someone who hurt her for so long. She’s so…”
“Dominant? Yeah, she’s one helluva Switch. She’s as dominant now as she used to be submissive. You wouldn’t recognize her if you saw her six years ago. Of course you wouldn’t see her face anyway because it’d be buried in his lap.”
Zach had started to take a drink of his gin and tonic but he set his glass down again.
“He forced her to do that in public?”
“Hell, yeah. Fucked her a few times in public, too. Well, not public—private parties. I got invited once. The only time I ever got to top that woman. One of the best nights of my life. He beat her, f**ked her, passed her around. He and King would tag team her a lot. Most dominant thing you can do is give your submissive to someone else to play with.”
“Nora allowed that?”
Griffin choked on a laugh and turned to meet Zach eye to eye. “Allowed it? Man, she f**king loved it.”
Zach shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Who would enjoy being treated like that?”
“Believe what you want. All the submissives down here would sell their souls to belong to him. That’s why he’s number one. He’s the real thing. He doesn’t play to get laid. And he doesn’t do it for money like some people. He does it for pure sadistic pleasure.”
“But Nora…why does she do it?”
“Lots of reasons. But for him mainly.”
“Surely he doesn’t approve of her being a Dominant.”
Griffin gave him a sidelong smile. “What? You never pulled the ponytail of the little girl you liked on the playground? This is his playground,” Griffin said, sweeping his arm out to indicate the bar and the writhing pit below. “He’d never allow anyone but him to own her. So if she wants to play on his playground, she does it as a Domme. He doesn’t like it but he won’t stop it. Still loves her too much.”
Zach turned his head and saw the young woman in the pale pink collar return to her master. With her eyes and head lowered she presented him a glass of wine. The man set the glass of wine aside, took her by the hair and pulled her face between his legs. Zach tried to look away but found he couldn’t. The man leaned his head back in arrogant bliss as the girl wrapped her lips and tongue around him.
“God, I love it here,” Griffin said, and Zach could hear arousal in his voice. “I’ve gotta get a sub.”
Zach tried to ignore how aroused he was becoming by watching the girl. The man dug his fingers into the back of the girl’s neck as his hips twitched. Zach wrenched his gaze away as he finally let the girl go.
“Nora and Søren were just like that?” Zach asked, still in shock.
