Chapter 5 #2
“My club uses the universal color system to avoid confusion over a sub’s safeword.
Green is good, yellow is to slow down or clarify something, and red means stop.
And I mean, everything stops, and the scene is over.
The Dom immediately starts aftercare, if needed, and they talk about what went wrong, why the sub felt it necessary to stop, and how to avoid the situation in the future. ”
Ian paused, and she took a moment to take all it in. When she stood, she heard his breath catch, so she smiled to reassure him. Taking off her shoes, she went into the kitchen, retrieved two bottles of water from her refrigerator, and then handed him one. Both opened the bottles and took a drink.
She could feel the wheels spinning inside her head. “Okay, I think I understand what you’re saying. Like I told you, I’ve read books based on BDSM before, so it’s not a completely foreign concept. But it’s hard to bring what I thought was a fantasy world into the real world.”
When she sat beside him again, he retook her hand and placed it back on his thigh with his own as if needing direct contact with her. “You said you’d tell me what you get from being a Dom.”
“My submissive’s pleasure and trust, pure and simple.
” It wasn’t the answer she expected, but then she didn’t know what she expected.
“Nothing gives me greater pleasure than knowing I’ve given her everything she needs to achieve her own pleasure and/or emotional release, and she trusted me to give it to her. ”
“Emotional release?”
Leaning forward, he placed his water bottle on a coaster on her cocktail table and sat back again.
“Mm-hm. BDSM is not all about sex—far from it. However, that’s usually an enjoyable end result of everything else.
It’s about getting one’s individual needs met, and sometimes it means pain is involved, whether the final result is pleasure or something else.
“Let me give you an example. I met this female submissive when I first started apprenticing under a few skilled Doms. And before you ask, I never played with her since I was far too inexperienced for what she needed.
Ava was a very nice but reserved woman, around thirty-five years old at the time, and her kink was to be whipped until she finally broke down crying.
But there was never any sex involved in her scenes.
“One night, I got the courage to approach her, and I explained my confusion about the fact she wasn’t getting pleasure from her scenes.
She told me she was very young when her mother married her stepfather, a verbally cruel man.
Little things always seemed to set the guy off, and if Ava cried, he’d get angrier.
He’d start throwing things, breaking her toys, or tossing her clothes and possessions in the garbage.
So, to save the things she loved, this little six-year-old girl shoved her emotions so far back into herself to the point she couldn’t cry for any reason. ”
Angie gasped. “How awful. The poor girl.”
“Exactly. That little girl who stopped crying turned into an adult woman who couldn’t cry unless a Dom broke through her subconscious barriers to the point she could find her emotional release and let her tears fall.
That’s why she was in the lifestyle. It was a cleansing therapy of sorts for her.
” He paused. “I seem to have gotten sidetracked because I’m supposed to tell you why I’m in the lifestyle. ”
“My fault, sorry.”
Ian brought her hand to his mouth for a quick kiss.
“Don’t apologize for asking questions, Angel.
It’s what tonight is all about. Anyway, I prefer to be in charge in the bedroom and sometimes out of it too.
When I scene or play with a sub, I like pushing her limits, teaching her things that can make her pleasure and inner-self better than they were before.
I like being responsible for my sub’s pleasure and emotional or physical health and giving her what she needs, which may not always coincide with what she wants.
A sub’s safety and well-being are important to me.
As the Dom-in-Residence, or head Dominant at the club, all the subs’ safety and well-being ultimately fall under my protection.
“I know every sub's and slave’s name at The Covenant, their hard limits, and what they want to get out of the lifestyle.
If I see a sub not getting what they need or pushing themselves to where it could be detrimental to their physical or psychological well-being, I step in and do what I can to get them back on track.
“We have several doctors and psychologists as members who are willing to talk to any other member, whether it’s a sub or a Dom, who could benefit from their expertise. Doms aren’t perfect, and anyone who claims to be is a fool. We make mistakes, learn from them, and grow along with our subs.”
At some point, Ian’s thumb had begun rubbing over the back of her hand, and the sensations it was evoking had a direct connection to Angie’s clit. She was finding it difficult to think, but one thing he said did confuse her. “You said sub or slave. Aren’t they the same thing?”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. A slave tends to be in a 24/7 relationship with their Master, giving entire control of their lives over to them. From what they wear and eat to what they do each day, and of course, the sexual aspect of it. It’s not for everybody, it isn’t for me, and it can be quite an undertaking for some Doms. It’s a lot of responsibility for them, and after a while, some find it’s not what they really want.
A Dom/submissive relationship is not as extreme and usually consists of control of a sub’s safety and pleasure, although every relationship is unique. ”
“Wow. This is a lot more involved than I realized. I thought it was just about tying a woman up and spanking her.”
When she paused, he let the silence drag on for a few minutes while she digested all he’d told her, her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip.
When he brought his thumb up to rescue her tender flesh, she was tempted to nibble on that instead.
“I take it some parts of all this interest you since I’m still sitting here, and you haven’t tossed me out on my ass yet. ”
Angie smiled nervously. “Yes, I’ll admit, I’m intrigued but also a little scared.”
“I’d be worried if you weren’t. This is something new and out of your comfort zone.
But, if you’re willing to test your limits…
I’d be more than happy to help you explore.
If you want, we can sign an open-ended contract that outlines our D/s relationship and lists what parts of the lifestyle you’re interested in and what I expect from you. ”
Her smile turned into a slight frown. That sounded so formal and business-like. “A contract?”
“It’s not as cold as it sounds, sweetheart.
Doms and submissives often sign an agreement that defines their relationship to avoid confusion or false expectations.
We have general contracts available at the club, but each Dom and sub can change them to suit their needs.
The negotiations they do before signing a contract force them to talk about everything so there is no guessing between them.
Think back on some of your past relationships.
Were there times you wondered what your boyfriend was thinking about, or you wanted something you weren’t getting from him but weren’t sure how to bring up the subject? ”
She nodded, understanding how much communication there was between a Dom and a sub. “Yes, there were. Sometimes I’d go nuts trying to get one of them to tell me what was on their mind.”
“Exactly.” Ian smiled. “See, you’re learning already. Is a D/s relationship something you want to try, Angel? With me?”
Her gaze met his for the first time since she sat back down, and when she swallowed hard, his eyes fell on the movement in her throat.
The pulse in her neck and her breathing picked up speed, which seemed that was all the encouragement he needed.
His other hand that'd been resting on the back of the couch, wrapped around the nape of her neck before he closed the gap between them.
Pausing with their lips not quite touching, he waited.
When her breath hitched, he brought his mouth down on hers.
A heartbeat or two later, her lips parted, and he changed the angle of his mouth to plunge his tongue inside her depths.
Heaven. Like the night before, his mouth was pure heaven combined with a touch of hell.
Just enough to make her want to let him take her to the dark side of sex.
His hand skimmed down her bare back, stopping at her waist before working its way back up again.
Her shivers made her nipples harder than they already were, and he pulled her into his lap, never letting her mouth go.
They stayed that way for a few minutes, devouring each other.
Her hands moved around his neck, and she shoved her fingers into the hair at the back of his head. When he pulled away and looked at her with lust-filled eyes, she knew her green ones revealed her own desire. They were both panting.
As much as she wanted him to retake possession of her mouth, he apparently had other things he wanted to do to her.
“Let me give you a little taste of my world tonight, Angel. No pain, just pleasure. And no intercourse. I want to make you come for me. I want you to shatter under my touch. Will you let me please you?”
His whiskey-smooth tone of voice had moisture pooling between her legs, and she didn’t hesitate to answer him. “Oh, God, Ian. Yes, please.”
Cupping her chin, he waited until he had her complete attention. “Say it, Angel. I want to hear you say it. I need to know you understand what you’re agreeing to. And if we are going to play, I want you to call me ‘Sir.’”
Angie hesitated this time. Was this really what she wanted? Her mind and body were screaming at her to tell him anything which would make him kiss her, touch her, and do anything he wanted to her.
“It’s one thing to say ‘yes’ to me, but I need you to say the words yourself. I won’t go any further until you tell me exactly what you want. I need to know we’re on the same page here.”
She was taking this big step, but she knew if she didn’t, she would regret it for a very long time. “Yes, Sir. Please make me come. Please give me a taste, and show me what it’s like to be your submissive.”
He ran his thumb along her jawline, leaving a tingling in its wake.
“It will be my pleasure, Angel, and all yours too. Now, I want you to go into your bedroom, undress completely, and lie on your back in the middle of the bed. You have three minutes to do that for me before I follow you.” When she hesitated again, he lowered his voice and added, “The clock is ticking, sweetheart.”
She jumped off his lap and hurried to her bedroom before she could change her mind.
Fumbling with the catch holding her dress in place at the back of her neck, she was ready to rip it apart before it suddenly released under her trembling hands.
Letting the entire garment fall from her body to the floor, she kicked it out of the way and added her thong and stockings to the pile.
She climbed atop her queen-size bed and situated herself as he’d ordered, propping her head on her pillow. And then she waited.
Athos paced back and forth in the one-room studio apartment he’d rented in New Orleans.
He took another gulp of water from a bottle and willed the last of the cocaine out of his system.
Why anyone would freely put this junk in their body was still beyond him.
The only reason it was pumping through his veins and cells at the moment was because his other choice had been a bullet in his brain.
If it weren’t for Angie, he would’ve preferred the bullet.
He’d gotten lucky and ran into a guy who knew him back when he was undercover in the Southwest. After spending the night pretending to get drunk with the asshole, he had his way into the underground drug business of the city.
After a few minor-league, illegal activities, he was introduced to Manny Melendez, one of the local cartel leaders and the guy probably responsible for the deaths of Aaron and his family.
The scumbag was nervous about anyone new walking into his operation.
That'd been obvious. But between some recent arrests and gang-related deaths of his minions, he needed new hands willing to get a little dirty.
So, Athos had a choice at their meeting—powdered crap or a hollow-point bullet up his nose.
After Melendez was satisfied with his recruit, the two of them and five other pieces of shit released a little of their temporary Superman energy brought on by the drugs.
Melendez wanted to send a message to an up-and-coming gang and took it out on a few wanna-be bangers they’d found a few blocks into Melendez’s territory.
If Athos had to beat the crap out of someone to maintain his cover, at least the mouthy little punks deserved it.
Now, as he was coming down off his high, the few cuts and bruises he’d received in the brawl were making themselves known.
But with the coke in his system, he didn’t want to add anything else, whether it be OTC drugs or alcohol.
He flopped down on the bed and fumbled with the TV remote until he found a ballgame to watch.
Who was playing, he didn’t know or care as long as there was a familiar noise in the background.
He closed his eyes and thought of Angie.
He knew it was the right thing to have someone watching her, and Carter swore the men at Trident were the best. He wasn’t thrilled with their extra-curricular activities in the club the Sawyer brothers owned, but as long as she didn’t need to go there for any reason, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Toeing off his boots, he let his mind wander, and exhaustion began to pull him under a veil of sleep.
Maybe it was time to break away from the DEA.
Over the years, he’d put hundreds of dealers in jail or six feet under.
Maybe it was time for him to find a life outside his quest for vengeance.
He could move to Tampa to be near Angie. Maybe get a job with Trident.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.