Merrick
Part of him had been tempted to cancel their dinner plans, but after bringing Tamsyn to orgasm, he’d known staying at home with her was a bad idea. Being caged in four walls with her was a temptation he couldn’t fight, not now the taste of her was branded on his tongue and his fingers still tingled with the force of those innocent muscles crushing them.
Unfortunately, fingering that tight pussy cemented his resolve when it came to taking her virginity; he wasn’t the right man for that task, even if he was damn near convinced he was the right man for her.
He hadn’t lied when he said his cock would be the last she’d ever know.
It just wouldn’t be the first.
Sitting across the table from him, devastatingly gorgeous in a brown sweater that almost matched the brown of her tawny eyes, her lush hair soft and loose around her shoulders, Tamsyn pushed away the plate and the remnants of her steak to focus on the papers he’d set to one side before the meal began.
She’d eaten like a trooper, delicately slicing through tender beef in tiny mouthfuls, visibly enjoying the extra vegetables he’d ordered on the side. Mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, everything the kitchen had available, so he could see what she liked when she had a choice.
Choices were a big part of the evening, it seemed.
She turned those big, trusting eyes on him and tapped a finger on the papers.
“No dessert?” he queried.
Temptation flashed, then she tapped again.
“After the paperwork, then.” Nudging his own empty plate aside, he leaned back in his chair and lifted his chin toward the first set of paperwork. “That’s a membership form. It allows you to be here and offers all the benefits everyone else gets.”
She lifted both hands out to the sides as if asking, Where is here?
Straight into the deep end, he thought. Signing the NDA was a necessity given the circumstances, but in order to stay here and not remain in the cabin, she needed to know the finer details of what Elias and Evander were creating here.
“This is Club Serenity. It’s a club for people who enjoy indulging in BDSM—a kinkier kind of sexual lifestyle,” he explained, then corrected himself. “Club is the wrong word for what Serenity is. Eli and Evander designed it as a playground, but with a higher purpose in mind. It’s a family, a safe haven, a community.”
Tamsyn visibly recoiled.
Testing her, he added, “A community for those who don’t really fit in with the outside world.” Yeah, she was reacting to the word community , but why? “They can come here and be who they are without judgement or criticism. Dream about being a pony? At Serenity, you get your own stable, a personal groom and rider if you don’t already have one, and the full pony experience. This is where fantasies come to life, little owl, whatever they may be.”
It was fascinating, watching her think. What fantasies did she have in that innocent head? Did virgins dream about anything other than missionary? He supposed that depended on what someone was exposed to during the formative years.
What had sweet Tamsyn’s mind been opened to as a child?
“Want me to read it to you?”
She stubbornly reached for the pen beside her water glass and began writing her name in block letters. Their lessons were paying off, he noted; her hand was steadier, her confidence with both the pen and the letters vastly improved. She couldn’t write cursively yet, but she’d get there with time and practice.
Merrick smirked when she pushed the signed sheet at him. “Always know the rules before you sign something, darlin’. Lucky for you, I’m a walking, talking rulebook; I’ll keep you on the straight and narrow.”
Shaking her head as though she didn’t find him funny, Tamsyn scowled at the next lot of papers. These required more effort than just a signature and she knew it.
“Come here, little owl, and bring those with you.” He shoved his chair back a few inches and patted his thigh, pleased when she did as he asked. The pants he’d bought her were slightly too baggy for her current weight, but they looked good on her anyway.
She rounded the table, standing in front of him with the limits list clutched in her hands. Her eyes bounced around the restaurant and their fellow diners for the evening, a flush of embarrassment rising up her neck.
“They’ve seen worse than a woman sitting on a man’s lap in public, Tamsyn. Hell, they’ve likely done dirtier things than that in full view. Sit down and get comfortable, this part takes time.” Another, firmer pat on his thigh.
God, her ass felt perfect as she turned and settled it squarely on his groin, leaning her back against him. His arm slipped around her waist, his chin on her shoulder. “Hold the paper up, little owl. I’ll explain it to you.”
He pointed to the list running down the right hand side of the sheet. “These are all kinks, Tamsyn. Sexual activities, methods of restraint, the toys available. BDSM works on a number of dynamics—Master and slave, Dominant and submissive, Daddy and Little, Owner and pet.” He huffed when she stiffened. “I don’t want a slave or a pet, so relax. My title here is Master Merrick, just like Eli is Master Elias and Evander, Master Evander.” He stroked her arm lightly. “Violet is Mistress Violet.”
Oddly, there wasn’t much of a reaction to Mistress. So far in this one-sided conversation, community and Master seemed to be her triggers, which laid the first bricks for an intriguing foundation theory on where she came from.
“You should know that BDSM doesn’t have to include sex—either contact or intercourse. A submissive can use their safeword at any time, but remember that crying wolf—using that word or signal lavishly without real cause—damages a Dominant’s trust.” This was where he went from rhetorical to personal. “I need to be able to trust you every bit as much as you need to trust me, Tamsyn, do you understand? It doesn’t matter if it’s a scene or sex, or just everyday life, trust is the key. If that key is bent or broken, it doesn’t fit the lock.”
Tilting her head so she could look at him, her eyes already round and a little bewildered, she gave him a nod.
“All of this is new to you, not just BDSM. I will understand, one hundred percent, if you tick every no box on this list. The lifestyle isn’t for everyone.” Of course, if she didn’t want to be here, to explore this darker walk of sex, he wasn’t sure what future they’d have together. He pointed to the words written at the top of the page, above the three columns of small boxes. “Yes. No. Maybe. We’ll go down the list one at a time, and I’ll explain the activity. Then you choose a box. Want some advice?”
The paper crinkled in her hands as her fingers tightened.
“Don’t tick no unless it’s an absolute hard limit. Some of these sound frightening and painful, which they are, but they can be incredibly rewarding if you take the risk. Ready?”
In answer, she reached forward to snag the pen, holding it like a knife.
Merrick kissed her temple. “Vaginal sex—my cock in your pussy instead of my fingers.”
That was a quick tick in the yes column.
“Anal sex—my cock in your ass. It can hurt to begin with, but it’s very pleasurable when done right.” Pride flared swiftly as the pen flicked between no and maybe several times before making a mark in the maybe box. “Brave little owl. Double vaginal and double anal penetration—two cocks or a cock and toy in the same—”
Her head whipped around quickly, mouth open wide enough to swallow a small boat.
“Again, it can hurt. Scenes with these kinks require that key I was talking about.”
Tamsyn hesitated, then ticked the maybe boxes again.
Merrick shifted as his cock paid rapt attention to her answers. He tried to be subtle about it; he wanted her attention on the list, not on the growing weapon stirring beneath her ass. “Oral sex—your mouth on my cock, mine on your pussy.”
A very slight hesitation there before it got a yes .
“Double penetration—something in your ass and pussy simultaneously.” Maybe . “Fisting—my hand in your pussy.” That earned him a horrified stare and a reluctant tick in the maybe box. “Enemas—messy, uncomfortable, but the orgasms are supposed to be something else. Water up your butt,” he clarified when she frowned.
When they were halfway through the list, he had to give her credit for an apparently endless supply of courage. She was taking his advice to heart; there were a half dozen firm yes es, and everything else so far was a maybe .
“Medical play.”
He knew her reaction before it happened, which was why he managed to slam his hand down on the paper before she could stab the pen in the no box. That kink needed no explanation. “Wait, darlin’. Hear me out before you decide. I know you hate medical shit, that’s no secret. I’m asking you as a personal favor to give it a shot.”
Tamsyn threw the pen down and folded her arms over her chest.
“You have a phobia, one that has the potential to impact urgent medical care if you need it. Hell, you did need it, and it didn’t go well. I understand if you don’t want to play in that setting, but we need to do some desensitization in case of an emergency.”
Silently sulking, she huffed and puffed a few times, then picked up the pen and mimed jabbing herself in the arm before wagging a finger at him.
“Sorry, darlin’, need to work on that needle fear as well.” This time, he caught her hand before she flung the pen across the room and javelined some unlucky diner in the eye. “This one is non-negotiable, Tamsyn.”
Just to infuriate her more, because he discovered he loved this unexpected vein of temper, he lowered her hand to the sheet and made a mark in the maybe column.
Feeling her bristle was the kick his cock needed to become fully erect.
He smiled to himself when Tamsyn wriggled her ass and froze. Another tentative shift of her hips rubbed his shaft against her crack, then her head turned in exorcist-style slow motion. Eyebrows raised high, eyes wide, she blinked at him.
“I warned you I’m not for the faint-hearted,” he said easily as she swallowed nervously. Because her expression clearly stated her mind was struggling to process this new development, he didn’t push it. “All right, where did we get to?”
She continued to stare at him, goggle-eyed, and didn’t see the waiter approach to clear the table. When the man spoke in a low, polite voice, she nearly catapulted herself off Merrick’s lap. The pen clattered onto the tablecloth, rolling to clink against his glass.
“Ah, sir, sorry to interrupt. Can I get you and the lady anything else tonight?”
Merrick frowned thoughtfully. “I’m not sure yet. Come back in twenty?”
“Of course, Master Merrick.” Plates in hand, the waiter retreated.
Taking advantage of the situation, Tamsyn shuffled around on Merrick’s thighs until her ass rested on just the right one. Her gaze dropped to the bulge forcefully straining against the zipper of his pants, then she pressed her palm lightly against him.
His eyes crossed when those small fingers tried to wrap around his girth through the material, tracing the shape of his shaft. The fact she didn’t grasp him firmly or squeeze was the only thing saving him from an embarrassing accident—the power she held over him was astounding.
He grunted. “Darlin’, hope you know what you’re doing with that.”
The shock in her eyes was quickly turning to fascination. When she met his pointed glare, the tawny brown gleamed with intrigue and a smudge of fear. She poked a finger at his confined cock, then held her hands eighteen inches apart.
Merrick laughed and moved them closer together. “Thanks for the ego boost, little owl. Now concentrate, otherwise this list is never getting finished, and everyone will be enjoying an impromptu show with their dinner.”
Goddamn it, her pout slayed him.
Something was changing in her. Had been changing in the last couple weeks. The longer she was here, the more time she spent in his company, the more she was relaxing and giving her character free rein. There were times she appeared shocked by her own behavior, as though she hadn’t known there was a touch of fire inside her, and there were moments he’d caught when she braced for… he wanted to say retribution.
She’d cower, brace that thin body in a way that told him she expected harsh words at the very least. Unfortunately, he knew from experience that abusers rarely stopped at verbal chastisement, often backing up their anger with physical violence.
Grabbing her right hand, Merrick brought her knuckles to his mouth, brushing his beard over the tiny joints before following with his lips. Her shudder ripped through him, spearing straight to his cock and bringing precum to the tip.
She was going to be the death of him, for sure.
“Finish the list, Tamsyn.” He added a testing note of dominance into his tone to see how she’d react. Now they were making progress toward a more intimate relationship, he wanted to know if she’d respond submissively or balk at being given a command.
Because she was obviously fucking perfect in every way, she melted.
Snatching up the pen, she pinned the list down with her cast and speed-ticked her way down the maybe boxes without a second thought. Everything from clamps to Shibari, whips to watersports. The top sheet flicked aside and she continued down the second page with the same determined flair.
Merrick snorted softly, knowing they’d need to revisit the list again at a future date. “Tamsyn, darlin, some of these you really need to think about.”
She completed her task and sent him an arch look that twitched his dick, then flipped the top page back. Her finger tapped all the other checked boxes in that column, then she lifted her shoulders as if to ask, What’s the difference?
Well, the point went to her, he supposed. Her body was an unexploited, unsullied canvas, and he suspected her mind was much the same. Explaining a kink wasn’t the same as experiencing it, and he got the feeling she needed the hands-on approach to understand the depth of what she was getting involved in.
Which suited him fine.
Indicating the line at the bottom of the second page, he smiled. “If you’re happy with your choices, darlin’, sign it.”
He waited until she finished writing her name again, then nudged her off his lap. Scooping the papers into one bundle, he pointed to the doors leading to the hallway. “While I order dessert, you take these to the desk through those doors and give them to Lydia.”
Apparently, he’d dropkicked a puppy off the roof if her expression was anything to go by. She was horrified and scared shitless at the prospect of… leaving him? Going out there alone? Interacting with strangers?
With her, there was an endless list of possibilities.
“Go on.” His tone brooked no argument.
It was a testament to his feelings for her that the staring contest she initiated amused him. Of course, she barely lasted thirty seconds of direct eye contact with him before his flat Dom stare trumped her defiant one.
When she snatched the paperwork from his hand and stomped toward the door with her attitude swinging like a pendulum, all Merrick could think was how much fun she was going to be when she let herself go.
How lucky he was to be the man who watched her find herself.