Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
Caleb
I tried to politely move away from the group of women who blocked me from entering the classroom. All of them were single, beautiful in their own way, and keeping me from what I really wanted. While I was glad they’d enjoyed how beautifully Ivy had responded to me, the last thing I wanted to do was prick Ivy’s jealousy.
Again.
“I see you’re still wearing your ring,” the blonde in a red and white cheerleader’s outfit said in a perky voice. “And my collar is still empty. After watching you work that woman”—the blonde gave a little shudder, her eyes glassy with desire—“I knew I had to have you.”
“Me too,” a kind of familiar brunette wearing a gold lame dress purred. “You have a very good reputation, Master Caleb. I would be honored to wear your ring.”
“That role play you did”—the blonde cheerleader fanned herself dramatically—“so hot. Big brother’s best friend seducing the little sister. I was so turned on I masturbated watching you.”
I quickly scanned the area, relived to not see Ivy within hearing distance at the moment.
No doubt she’d take this situation the wrong way.
Unreasonable jealousy in a relationship was an instant red flag for me. Key word being unreasonable. In Ivy’s case, I felt like she’d be justified at being a little pissed at the way the cheerleader was now openly pawing at me. Her hands wandered to my belt quickly. I took a step back as she yanked at the button of my jeans while attempting to grope me, frowning down at the blonde as her inviting smile wilted.
“Consent,” I said in a crisp voice, “is a two-way street. I didn’t invite you to touch me. Go to the Principal’s Office and tell them you need a detention and a reminder about consent. Ask before you touch, always.”
Red suffused her face and she stuttered before saying, “You can’t send me to detention, you’re not a professor.”
Derek’s deep voice came from behind us. “No, but I can, and I think after that little display you may find yourself spending the night in detention. And trust me when I say it will be the kind of night that you will never forget.”
The sinister tone to Derek’s voice had the cheerleader going pale, then kind of bouncing in place before squeaking out, “I’m so sorry, Master Derek. How do I get to detention, Sir?”
“I’ll take you there myself,” he said in a way that left no doubt about his displeasure.
Gotta love my boss. He always took care of his people. Both guests and staff.
The third woman, this one probably in her fifties and wearing one hell of a shoulder-padded black power suit, smiled at me with perfectly white teeth. “Master Caleb, do you offer private classes? My husband and I would be interested in learning more about your method. Like your submissive I’ve had issues achieving satisfaction from that act.”
I gave her a tilt of my head as I said, “I’m sorry but I don’t teach. However, I can recommend that you stop by our library. Our staff has access to an outstanding amount of information, and they’ll be able to tell you if anyone at the Rawhide Resort can give you a hand. No pun intended.”
She laughed, a very pleasant sound, then reached into her jacket and pulled out a black and gold embossed business card. “Thank you so much. If you ever change your mind about private lessons, please let me know.”
“Though I wouldn’t count on it, will do,” I said as I slipped the card into the back pocket of my jeans.
At this point I was getting close to being late for class, and ignored various people trying to catch my eye as I entered the room. There were only a few desks left at the back, and Ivy was nowhere to be seen. I scanned the crowd for her distinctive mane of red-gold hair but didn’t see her at first. This was because sometime during the break between classes, she’d gone and changed into a flowing white dress with abstract primary color blocks along the hem. And her mane of hair had been tamed into braids on either side of her head. She turned slightly and I took in her perfectly made up face before she looked away again.
Very different than when I’d seen her last, sweat soaked and makeup smeared beyond repair.
And her lips. God, her glossy fucking lips. So full and pink. I couldn’t wait to see them swollen again from my attentions. Everything about her seemed fresh and clean, and I swore I could smell her baby powder-scented perfume from here. One would think the last thing I’d find Ivy was innocent and pure after what I’d done to her, but I did. There was an artlessness about her, an honest joy in life that many people lost after childhood.
Her mischievous spirit, her spunk, her wicked imagination—all of these things blended together into a glorious and confusing mix of a woman.
A chime sounded in the hallway and from the speaker in the corner of the room, reminding everyone class started in five minutes. People took their seats, and while I considered asking one of the people sitting by Ivy to move, I didn’t want to create a scene. I knew the Dominatrix teaching this class, and the last thing I wanted to do was piss her off.
After all, I was already on her shit list.
If Ivy hadn’t been here, there was no way I would have attended.
Mistress Susan must have laughed her butt off when she approved my addition to the class.
She stood around six feet tall in heels, had an amazing natural hourglass figure, and was one hell of a sadist. With red hair shorn into a buzz cut and almost cat-like blue eyes she was, without a doubt, a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, I’d pissed her off the first week I’d started working here and she’d held a grudge ever since. The shibari artist she’d wanted to come teach at the Ranch had asked for way too much money for three simple classes. Yes, he was amazing at what he did, but it was my job to find talent that was both skilled and affordable. He wouldn’t come down on his price, and we simply could not afford to blow a quarter of our budget on one man.
Even if he was a personal friend of Mistress Susan.
We were sponsoring more scholarships to our college than ever, and every dollar I could save could help someone have a better life.
Ivy took her seat as well, two rows away from the raised platform at the front of the room. We were on the second floor, and the late afternoon sunlight poured in through a row of windows on the west side of the room. That light caught Ivy’s hair and it blazed in a way that had me entranced. Then she leaned forward so she could talk to the brunette woman with big white hoop earrings in front of her. I thought it was the same person who’d been sitting next to Ivy in our last class together, and I leaned forward into the aisle to get a better look.
“Excuse me, Mr. Sterns, do you mind moving so I can teach my class?”
Embarrassment had my cheeks going heated, no doubt much to Mistress Susan’s amusement.
“Sorry about that, Mistress Susan,” I said as I swiftly moved back into my seat.
I leaned back and looked up at her, towering above me as I was seated. She wore a pair of wicked-looking tan patent-leather heels. They went well with her tan 80s-style belted dress that showed off her tiny waist and impressive cleavage. Large pearl studs graced her ears but her nose was missing the usual septum piercing. Behind her trailed her submissive and boyfriend, Tyler, dressed in a preppie green sweater and tan pants. His light-brown and silver hair had been feathered back, and it looked like he’d grown a mustache since I’d last seen him. I thought it made him kind of look like my sixth grade science teacher. He gave a rueful shake of his head as he passed, grinning the whole way. No doubt he found it hilarious to watch me get my butt chewed by Susan. We’d had more than one beer together, and I liked the funny man and his easygoing nature.
Why he was attracted to a bitch like Susan I’ll never know, but he was so I had to be respectful to his Mistress. And I was in her classroom, taking a class she was more than qualified to teach. The rules were very clear that it didn’t matter if you were a Dominant, submissive, or whatever. The instructors or professors were the ones who had the power to boot you from their class instantly, no questions asked.
Knowing Mistress Susan expected more of an apology than the one I’d given, I inwardly sighed and said, “Forgive me for not noticing when a lady has entered the room.”
That mollified her, a little bit, and she dismissed me with a sniff then strolled past me. “Do try to pay attention, Caleb. There is much you could learn from this class on self-control.”
That rankled a bit, and Tyler hid a smile as he followed his Mistress.
I glanced over at Ivy and found her looking back at me, clearly laughing behind her raised hand.
I subtly shot her the bird.
That only made her laugh harder.
Red faced, she shook her head at me and smiled so bright I couldn’t help but smile back in return.
Her smile fell a little bit, then reformed into something softer.
Something infinitely more powerful.
The bell for class beginning rang and I turned my attention to the front of the room.
As much as I wanted to spend the entire class staring at my obsession, if Mistress Susan caught me spacing out, she would no doubt call me on it.
I was not going to give that woman any excuse to torment me.
The room grew dimmer as the sun began to disappear over the horizon, creating an intimate atmosphere that Mistress Susan furthered by sitting on a wide, black leather couch rather than sitting behind the desk near the wall facing away from the windows. Tyler sat on the floor next to her, and she idly ran her hand through his hair. Crossing her long legs, she gave everyone a friendly, happy smile.
I wanted to shout to everyone to be careful, that her smile was a lie, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Welcome to my class on edging and orgasm denial,” Susan said and I could easily hear her through the speakers at the back corners of the room. “I have always had a fondness for this particular kink, one that my submissive shares. Isn’t that right, Tyler?”
He grinned up at her, his affection open and easy. “I love whatever you love, my Mistress.”
She gave his cheek a sharp slap, a pink handprint appearing on his skin as she said, “Honest answers only, Tyler. You know I don’t like pretty drivel.”
He rested his head against her thigh as he said, “I both love and hate it. The orgasms are intense, the connection between us powerful, but the frustration is….”
“Exquisite?” Mistress Susan said with a small smile.
“Not quite,” Tyler replied in such a dry tone that everyone laughed. “More like the ultimate itch that I can’t scratch. And it just gets more and more intense and irritating until I think I’ll go out of my mind. But the relief is so, so good when you finally let me climax. I swear I come so hard I nearly black out.”
Mistress Susan gave him a dry look, the lines around her mouth deepening as she said, “You find my technique irritating?”
He immediately took her hand and placed a kiss on it. “Only in the best of ways.”
She smiled down at him with a sigh. “Thank you for being honest with me.” Turning her head at an angle that emphasized her pretty face, Mistress Susan looked at the class as she said, “See, that is what honesty in a BDSM partnership looks like. He said something that I could have easily taken offense to and punished him for, but that would be silly. We aren’t in a scene and my ego isn’t so fragile that a few words will have me in tears.”
The class laughed at this and I risked a glance over at Ivy. She seemed entranced by Mistress Susan, and I was reminded again that Ivy had a taste for women as well as men. I didn’t mind sharing her with another submissive, but another Dominant was a whole different thing. Ivy was mine. Period. No other Dominant would get the pleasure of her touch or taste.
“If you are going to Master, or Mistress”—Susan’s knowing wink was met with soft laughter—“the art of edging and orgasm denial you need honesty with your submissive. If they lie about being close, or that something turns them on, or that they aren’t into what’s going on, you are going to have a very unfulfilling scene. And as I’m sure we all know, nothing is more tragic than a lovely sex scene fizzling into boredom. The kind of sex where you come just so you can get out of there.”
“Coming in self-defense,” Tyler said with a grin at his Mistress.
“Exactly.” She ran her hands through his hair, her gaze on the class as she said, “And subs, don’t think you get out of any responsibility for the success of a scene. Even if your shared kink is to have you lie there and just take it, BDSM is nothing without the mental and physical connection between partners. You can’t pretend with BDSM, it has bad consequences. Ask my friend who hated nipple play but pretended to like it for his girlfriend. He endured two years of it until one day he snapped and the truth came out. They broke up not long after. Please consider this as I continue with my lecture. At the end of my presentation, we’ll do some hands on experimentation. I’ll need volunteers, but only honest ones.”
The overhead lights flicked on, dim but still enough to fight back the encroaching darkness. Mistress Susan was both funny and entertaining as she taught, and I found myself having a good time despite my earlier trepidation. She hadn’t paid any more attention to me than anyone else, instead focusing on her instruction. I nodded along with what she was saying about overstimulation making nerves numb and found myself watching Ivy. She had a notebook open before her and appeared to be diligently writing down things as Susan lectured. I wondered what points she was highlighting, how her mind worked and what she was thinking. Maybe I could find some way to sneak a peek at her notebook. Or just ask her if she would mind reading me her notes, as my dog ate mine.
Music, a deep and sexy instrumental, came from the speakers, instantly changing the mood.
Everyone kind of shifted a bit as we all adjusted to the new sound, and I looked away from Ivy to the front of the class.
What I found had my gut clenching.
Mistress Susan smiled directly at me, and in the distance of my mind, tornado sirens wailed in warning.
“I often find it is best to teach my technique by instructing someone one on one with the class observing.” Standing, she motioned to Tyler. “Have them bring in the chair, darling.”
As Tyler spoke into his phone, Mistress Susan stood posed in her high heels, looking down at the class with narrowed eyes.
No, wait, looking down at me with narrowed eyes.
Inwardly I sighed and knew she was about to get her revenge on my turning down her guest speaker request.
“Caleb,” she said in a firm tone that had most of the submissives sitting up straighter in their seats.
It would have been amusing if that tone hadn’t been aimed at me.
Holding her hand with her pink manicured nails gleaming in the lights she said, “Please, join me on the stage.”
Her look dared me to say no.
Or maybe to say yes.
Either way, I was more than aware of Ivy watching me.
And like all foolish men trying to impress a woman, I didn’t want to appear to be a coward in Ivy’s eyes.
Besides, Mistress Susan would want me to use a submissive to experiment with. She didn’t share Tyler, and neither he nor myself were into men. I would ask, or insist, that it be Ivy. Mistress Susan might dislike me, but she’d never hurt Ivy and I wouldn’t touch anyone else. She couldn’t force a partner on me I didn’t want as it would violate the first rule-consent.
Standing from my seat, I quickly approached the stage and stood before the confident woman. I stood about an inch taller than her, but it felt like we looked square into each other’s eyes. Sometimes, when two Dominants got together they could work together seamlessly. Other times, when two Dominants got together, it was like rams endlessly butting their heads together.
Guess which one Mistress Susan and I were.
“Can I talk to you, in private,” I said in barely above a whisper.
She took off her microphone, handing it to Tyler who then began to give the class tips and tricks for negotiating a scene.
Mistress Susan practically hissed like a snake as she said, “What is so important that you had to interrupt my class?”
Leaning in a bit, I said in a low voice, “I’m guessing you’ll be having me edge a submissive as part of the demonstration.”
“You’re partially right,” she replied. “What’s your point?”
“I would like to select my submissive, if you please,” I said quickly, trying to charm her a bit.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend to be all polite around me now, not after the last time we spoke when you told me I was a flake who had no concept of money or the real world.”
I winced. “I apologize for that. In my defense, you said some rather disrespectful things about me as well.”
She shrugged a little, but I caught a hint of guilt tightening the line between her eyes. “Maybe I did. You are free to choose whoever you wish, as long as they wish to participate. But after that point, you will do everything I tell you with the option of safewording out at any time. I will not have our personal situation disrupt my class any more than it already has.”
“Agreed,” I said quickly. “And I really like this girl, Mistress Susan. I’m not making this request to be a pain in your ass. My safe word is dog breath.”
She snorted and gave me a look that said she did not think very highly of my safe word. “Of course it is. Go see Tyler, he’ll set you up with what you need.”
I eyed Tyler over by a large restraint chair the staff had brought into the room while we were speaking. “Adjustable arms and legs? Padded gray leather seating and fur-lined cuffs? Looks custom made too. Nice.”
“Thank you,” she said with a sinister smile that had my gut clenching again. “I do hope you enjoy it.”
With that she turned, clearly dismissing me as she strode to the front of the room like she was a general approaching her army.
Ivy glanced at me but turned her attention to Mistress Susan as the older woman explained the chair that had been brought onto the stage, along with a cloth-covered rolling table. Shapes distorted the linen surface in rises and falls, and I couldn’t help but wonder what lay beneath. Whatever kind of toys Mistress Susan had provided me, I couldn’t wait to use them on Ivy.
She came so easily, and so hard, I wondered if I’d even be able to deny her very long.
But I was about to find out.