her eyes were glazed and heavy. “Good girl. Lie down for me now, arms by your sides and these pretty thighs spread.”
Bless her, she all but melted onto the table, following his instructions perfectly. He reached for the padded leather cuffs from his personal stash and held out his hand. “Left wrist first, little one.”
She gave it to him slowly, moving restlessly as he wrapped the weighty leather around the delicate limb and tightened it. Fastened the buckle and checked the quick-release popper hidden beneath it. He slipped two fingers between her skin and the forgiving padding, satisfied it wouldn’t rub.
“Other one, that’s a good girl.”
As he repeated his actions with her right wrist, she asked, “Y-You’re not going to tie me down, are you, Sir?”
She was using Sir more confidently, he noted. The more she utilized it, the easier it would roll off her tongue. Soon it would become second nature to address him—and any other authority figure in the club—with either Sir or Ma’am. “I think my subbie is brave enough to try, don’t you, little one?”
From under the side, Braun pulled a length of slim silver chain free. Set into a D-ring, it was long enough Bodie could rest her hands comfortably on the table with only a couple of extra inches for leniency. He snapped the clip on the end onto the D-ring of her cuff.
Leaning over her, he grabbed the chain from the other side and clipped it to the other cuff. Her hands fisted, tugging at the restraints, and he braced, ready to rip the cuffs off if she triggered.
“I’m not leaving this space,” he assured her calmly, setting his hand on her stomach. “I won’t be more than five feet away for the entirety of the scene. Just relax your hands and breathe, little one.”
“I don’t think I like being tied down.”
Braun cocked his head. There was a frisson of fear underlying her statement, yes. He could either back down to it and release her or get his Dominant pants on and morph fear into enjoyment. He tugged the rolling table closer, selected his tool, and got his head into gear.
Lifting the flogger, he slapped the fronds over his palm forcefully enough to feel the barest sting. No matter how hard he brought the flogger down, the cotton tresses wouldn’t leave a mark on Bodie’s precious skin. But he wasn’t aiming for a hard flogging tonight; his goal was a gentle, arousing encounter she would find delightful.
“Use your safeword if you need to,” he reminded her.
With her eyes locked on the implement in his hand, he began.
*
People didn’t die from heart attacks at her age, did they?
Bodie’s heart worked on overtime. Her hands were captured, securely bound by cuffs and chains. Her naked body stretched out along the cool leather for anyone and everyone to see, with her traitorous breasts all perky and her nipples seeking attention. Between her open thighs, cool air kissed wet flesh.
Braun seemed huge from this angle, ranging over her like some dark angel come to wreak havoc on her tainted soul. He wielded the flogger in his hand expertly, his fingers curled around the glossy wooden handle with a loose grip.
As the flogger swung down, she winced and turned her head away, hoping not seeing the blow land would lessen the pain. God, this was crazy! She wasn’t a wimp by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn’t someone wired into actively seeking out pain either.
If she could just find her bitchy self again, reignite the angry spark, she could shed this meek version of herself and rebuild the strong, lonely Bodie she’d come to know and hate.
Something tickled her belly, just under her breasts. Automatically, her hands reached to scrub the irritation away and jarred to a stop by her sides. With a squeak of alarm, memories of that fucking fence rising quickly, she twisted and bucked.
“Boadicea,” Master Braun—he was every inch the Master in his element now—admonished her gently. “Stop fighting it.” Another brush of the strands swept over her breasts, teasing her nipples to aching. “You are safe.” And again. “I’ve got you, little one.” And again. “Just take a deep breath and focus on me.”
Her world narrowed down to him and the soothing caress of the flogger. The frantic flutters of her breathing slowed, fell into step with the rhythm of Braun’s arm swaying back and forth. Her heart jumped with every connection of material and skin.
“Relax your hands, Bodie. Lay them by