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  “No.” She wet her lips again. “Sir.

  “Scarlet it is.” He studied her. “We don’t know anything about each other except that our friends have put us together. I have to ask you, do you trust me? After just a few minutes together?”

  At once she realized there was much more to him than just the cravings of the lifestyle. This was a man who knew what a D/s relationship was all about, who probably would live it with the right sub. Who had substance and wanted the relationship to be meaningful whether it was for an hour or twenty-four/seven.

  “I—They said I would be safe with you. I trust them, so yes, I trust you.”

  “Excellent.” His eyes mesmerized her until she couldn’t, wouldn’t, look away. “Then we begin.”

  Her gaze tracked him as he walked to the center of the room, motioning for her to follow him. “Before I open the deck of cards I want you to remove all of your clothing.” His gaze flicked to her feet. “Except for those shoes.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “I always like to lay everything out for my subs the first time we play together. To begin with I prefer Sir rather than Master as the honorific.”

  “Sir,” she repeated. “Yes, Sir.”

  He focused his eyes intently on her face. “Is that insolence, sub?”

  “No, Sir.” She bit her lower lip. “Well, perhaps a little,” she teased. Damn! Kelly had always told her that streak of impudence would get her in trouble.

  “If it is, you know you will need to be severely punished.”

  Oh, yes. Please.

  “Or perhaps that is the goal. We’ll see.” He paused. “Next thing. I expect absolute obedience from my sub at all times. No matter what we are doing. Is that clear? If it is, nod your head.”

  He dropped lithely into an armchair set to the side, rested one ankle on the opposite knee, and tore open the wrapping on the cards. But his eyes never left her. They had barely had a conversation. He hadn’t asked her any questions except for her safe word, although she was sure Tanner had filled him in on her history and sexual desires. But she felt connected to him in some mystical way, as if they’d known each other forever and they were only playing at being strangers. Odd, because she’d never had that feeling with any Dom before, even the ones she talked with at length before their first session together. Kelly had told her, with a secret smile, that was the way it had been with her and Tanner. Was lightning about to strike twice in the same club?

  Slowly she unbuttoned her short cutaway vest, opened it, and let it slide down her arms to the floor. She had chosen to forego a bra so she was left naked from the waist, up. The moment his eyes focused on her breasts her nipples hardened into painful points and her breasts ached with need. She swallowed and slid down the side zipper on the skirt that barely covered her pussy. A flick of her wrist and it joined her vest on the floor. That left her in the sexy sandals and the tiniest red thong.

  When she hooked her thumbs in the elastic at the sides he held up his hand.

  “Come closer. I want to do that.”

  He placed both feet on the floor, legs apart and motioned for Nia to stand between them. As soon as she did he ran his hands lazily over her body, palming her breasts then pinching her nipples. Soft at first, then harder, and harder until he noticed her first flinch of pain.

  “Sensitive nipples. Excellent. I have just the thing for them.”

  She knew he expected silence so she stood mutely as he continued to follow the dips and contours of her flesh, sketching her with his fingers. When he came to the thong he tugged it until the elastic rested low at her hips, then ran his fingers down the hot crease between the globes of her ass. Unexpectedly he pinched each rounded cheek, hard, as he’d done with her nipples. Moisture flooded her cunt and trickled to the inside of her thighs.

  Lust burned in Blackjack’s eyes at her response. “Are you a pain junkie, Queen of Hearts? Does pain turn you on?”

  She nodded, once.

  “Good. I understand there are some interesting cards in this deck relating to methods of pain.” He continued to draw the thong down her legs until it reached her ankles. His eyes took in every inch of her pussy, naked except for a carefully trimmed line of curls on each lip. Blackjack carefully stroked one finger down each row then dipped his finger into her slit. When he removed it he brought it to his mouth and licked it very slowly.

  Her entire body clenched at the sight. Heat surged through her, warming her pussy even more and sending tiny electrical charges to her nipples.

  “You’re a delicious treat. I expect to taste a lot more of you before the evening is over. You may discard the thong now.”

  Balancing so she didn’t tumble off her high heels, she stepped out of the miniscule piece of lingerie and kicked it to the side.

  Blackjack removed the cards from their box, riffled them twice then shuffled them.

  “Time to set the game, sub. Some people like to go through the deck one time and remove all the cards representing things totally unacceptable. Then each person gets to select from what’s left. The way I prefer is to each make our selections first time around and discard the rest.”

  She wet her lips again. “Whatever pleases you, Sir.”

  “Good. I will allow you to make the first selections.” He pulled over a small table next to the chair and set the cards on it. “Cut them. Then I’ll deal. But choose wisely.”

  After he separated the pile at almost exactly the halfway mark Blackjack began turning over the cards one at a time. The third card was a woman on her knees, hands cuffed behind her, feet spread wide with a stretcher bar. A man stood beside her applying a flogger with rubber tips. A surge of desire coursed through her at the memory of the exquisite pain those tips created.

  “That one,” she nodded.

  He set the card aside, then continued turning them over. When he came to one with a woman stretched on a St. Andrews Cross, face up, weights attached to her nipples and clit, a man applying an electric wand she pointed again. And again Blackjack set it aside. By the time they’d gone through the deck she’d also chosen one with the single tail whip, a short but wide paddle, and a stainless steel butt plug with a place to include liquid that would give the tissues a pleasant burn.

  “Interesting choices,” he commented. “All right. My turn.”

  She studied each of the cards he selected and set on top of her choices—a woman on a spanking bench; a woman stretched out by a wall, arms upraised, legs wide apart, manacles on ankles and wrists, a large plug in her butt and the edge of a vibrator extending from her cunt; a woman on her knees, hands cuffed behind her while she wrapped her lips around her Master’s cock.

  “Only three?’ she asked, then realized she’d spoken without permission.

  A slow grin spread over Blackjack’s face.

  “Impudence again. I think we need to attend to that.” He picked up the card depicting the rubber-tipped flogger. “We’ll begin with this.”

  Nia’s pussy was dripping, her pussy throbbed with need, and she eagerly anticipated the rush of endorphins the pain would release in her body. She could hardly wait to begin.

  Chapter Two

  For the first time in a long time, Jack “Blackjack” Blackwell was having a problem keeping his shit together. The plan had been simple. Pop into San Antonio for a few days on business, hook up with his old friend Tanner Sloat, score a guest pass at whatever club Tanner now belonged to, and spend a couple of nights satisfying his urges as a Dom. All he was looking for was a chance to play with someone new before he headed back to Dallas. Relieve the tension of countless long days of grueling business meetings.

  He’d been shocked the first time he realized how much he enjoyed the kinky side of sex. Administering pain, seeing a sub enjoy the effects of it. The rush of pheromones through her system and the physical effects were unignorable across her flesh. The adrenaline rush—for her as she embraced the pain and for himself as he administered and knew it was giving her pleasure. Having someone t
rust him enough to put herself completely under his control. Knowing he had that power, a power he never abused, always gave him a rush.

  He enjoyed being unattached, spending his playtime at the club where he was a member. The few times he’d tried to form a relationship it had sputtered and died. He’d begun to wonder if he just wasn’t cut out for anything permanent. Would he want to live the lifestyle twenty-four/seven? Only at home? In the clubs? He’d seen other couples embrace it, but somehow he’d always had the feeling he’d lose who he was if he committed to only one person.

  When Tanner told him about Club Fantasy and their new shtick, the Cut the Cards game, he was intrigued. What a great way for both a Dom and his sub to find out right from the start what their preferences were and be able to get right to it. Tanner and his sub, Kelly—who he had recently collared—had a friend visiting that they planned to bring to the club with them. Someone they thought he’d enjoy.

  Enjoy? He didn’t know if he wanted to get tangled up in that. What if it turned out badly? If the session was a disaster in some way? Wouldn’t it endanger his friendship with Tanner? But then they’d introduced him to the Queen of Hearts and every part of his body went on high alert.

  Holy shit!

  The minute he laid eyes on her something inside him flared to life, something totally unexpected. Something he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with at this point in his life. That elusive something, a combination of the physical and emotional, zipped around him like an electrical field. And that was before they’d even entered the private room.

  Now, as he sat in his chair and looked at her, he wondered if the hand of fate he’d always made fun of had finally touched him. If the magic that Tanner had found with Kelly was whispering over him. When he looked at the cards she’d chosen, all of them representing intense pain in one form or another, something sizzled in his blood. If tonight turned out the way he thought it might, he was in such trouble. This was just supposed to be a one-nighter. He didn’t even know where she lived or how he’d see her again.

  First things first.

  “I don’t expect we’ll get through all of these.” He’d be exhausted if they did. He picked up the card depicting the rubber-tipped flogger. “I think we’ll start here. On your knees, sub, facing away from me. Hands behind your back.”

  When she dropped into position his cock swelled and pressed against the fabric of his slacks and an ache gripped his balls. Slowly he walked to the cabinet on the wall, opened it, and selected the things he needed. When he knelt beside her to fasten the handcuffs, he stroked his hand over her again, her smooth skin carried the scent of fresh flowers and teased at his senses. He was silent while he clicked the cuffs into place and when he pushed her legs apart so he could fasten the manacles on the spreader bar around her ankles.

  She tottered a little, off-balance because of the position. He threaded his fingers through the silk of her hair and guided her head down so her forehead touched the floor. She’d be better stabilized this way but also more vulnerable. He loved that vulnerability, and it struck him that he enjoyed it even more with this woman he barely knew than any of his other previous playmates.

  He was about to be in big trouble.

  Without any warning he struck her ass cheek with the flat of his hand, low on the curve. She jerked slightly but the sound she made was a moan of pleasure. His cock flexed in response. Sliding his fingers down through the hot crevice he reached her pussy and thrust two fingers inside. Jesus! She was soaked. When he slid his fingers out he rubbed them along the length of her slit, pinching her clit from behind.

  With other subs there was always an understanding. He gave them what they craved and they did the same for him. A fair exchange. But with his Queen he felt a build-up of connectedness, a bonding growing stronger in just a few moments. As her trust became more and more evident, the strength of the power exchange grew deeper. This was more than he’d ever felt even with subs he played with frequently. When he finally fucked her tonight, finally let himself have his own release, he had a feeling his entire life would be on the verge of change.

  Focusing on the moment, he delivered another smack to her buttocks, and another, enjoying both the manner in which the red of the heat spread across her skin and the little cries of pleasure that puffed from her mouth. She made no attempt to move away from the contact. Rather, she somehow adjusted her body in its awkward position so her ass was higher, more accessible. He had to restrain himself from bending down and licking the hot flesh.

  Instead he picked up the flogger, gave two more slaps to her ass, and immediately applied the flogger to her buttocks. The hard rubber tips did their job, stinging the flesh where they landed. His Queen cried out and tried to squeeze her thighs together, but the spreader bar prevented it. Blackjack was good at this, at knowing just how to space the blows, how hard to swing the instrument, how many blows to deliver. Again he struck her ass, then her thighs, then back to her ass. He teased himself as well as her by pausing every two or three strikes to slide his hand over her reddened skin and his fingers into her cunt. He hadn’t thought it possible for her to get any wetter but by now she was dripping. Her walls clutched at him, vibrating against his touch.

  “Do you want to come, sub?”

  She drew in a long breath, nodded her head, and whispered, “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I want to come, Sir.”

  He cupped her pussy with his palm. “Not yet. We’ve hardly begun.” He pinched her clit and was rewarded with another of those little pleasurable sounds.

  He still struggled to understand why he was trying to make more of this than just the one night. When he hooked up with subs in his home club they enjoyed each other for the time they were together and the only thing he worried about was making sure his sub was as satisfied as he was at the end of the session. But with this woman he felt a difference, had from the first moment he saw her. He was gripped with an overwhelming need to excel, to make this special.

  Backing away from her he unzipped his fly and took a moment to squeeze his cock, trying to appease its demands. It wouldn’t do for his release to explode before he was ready.

  Then, tucking his shaft back into his slacks he knelt beside his Queen, running his hand over the smooth surface of her skin from her spine to her glowing buttocks to her reddened thighs. She trembled beneath his touch, her breathing still choppy and escalated after the spanking and the flogger. He released the catches on the spreader and pushed it away, so tempted to just kneel behind her and plunge into her, fucking her like some stallion in heat. His famous self-control was fast eroding, shredded by the unexpected impact of this woman. He wasn’t even sure he would survive this evening.

  Get your act together.

  He removed the handcuffs and rubbed the muscles of her arms to ease the strain. What next? If he wasn’t going to last a lot longer, what card would he choose? He rested his hand on the slope of her buttocks, while she quivered beneath his touch He was amazed and pleased at how completely she embraced the pain.

  Okay, make this good, jackass. Make it good for her and maybe, just maybe, she’ll see you again. If she’s in town any longer.

  He helped her to her feet, studying her face for any signs he’d pushed her too far, too quickly. But one look into her eyes told him he’d been right in his original assessment. She was really into pain. He’d have to be very careful with his next choice. He was sure she wanted the St. Andrews Cross but he wanted to save that for another time.

  Another time? There it was again. The intense urge to see her again even before this night was over. Where had that come from?

  They’d never get through all those cards tonight. He’d be lucky if he lasted one more game. With that in mind he looked at the cards on the table, studying them carefully before selecting the one depicting the spanking bench. As he expected, she looked over at the Cross then back at him.

  “We’ll save that, shall we?”

  In a shaky
voice she said, “Yes, Sir.”

  He led her to the well-padded spanking bench against one wall and helped her up onto it. Carefully constructed just for this purpose it was covered in butter-soft leather with places for her head to rest and her breasts to hang free. He took his time easing those mounds into the openings made for them, kneading and caressing them as he did so. Unable to resist, he pinched each nipple, hard, as he’d done before.

  “Does that feel good, sub?”

  “Yes, Sir.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip, a little habit he’d noticed that teased his already painfully hard cock.

  In response he pinched them again, holding on a little longer this time. He had something specific in mind for this that would ramp things up a little. But first he had to finish arranging her to his liking. Satisfied that her breasts were in place, he made sure her head rested comfortably on the pillow beneath it. Extending the armrests to either side, he fastened the lined leather cuffs on them around her wrists.

  “I know you wanted the St. Andrews Cross,” he told her “but I see how easily you take yourself into subspace. I’m not ready for you to go that deep tonight. I don’t know how we’ll manage, but I hope we’ll have time together again. We’ll save it for then. But I hope to make it up to you with this.” He slapped each cheek of her ass again. “I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

  When he tested her pussy this time she shivered at his touch and tightened her thighs against his hand, attempting to trap it there. He spanked her buttocks with his free hand, chuckling over her eagerness.

  “I can tell you want to come, but you know we’re not even close to my giving you permission yet. Nod your head if you understand me.” When she bobbed her head, he swallowed a smile. Damn, she was hot. And he was more aroused than he’d been in a long time. Usually it took him the entire time of the play session to get to the point he was at now. He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to hold off here.