Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
They’d been at Rawhide Ranch for almost two weeks, and the changes Rubi saw in their relationship were amazing. They were so much more connected. Definitely more raw and honest with each other. And their Dungeon play was a big part of it, not only because of the things they were doing together, but because of the dynamic that guided it all. Their scenes were incredible—sensual and bonding—and just more fun than she’d had in years. And the resulting sex was off the charts.
She’d met with Catherine a few more times, had great talks with Claudia and Reese, and she knew Logan had talked with Master Derek a few times, that he’d become a friend. But it was more than those external parts of their time at the Ranch. More than the two of them practicing kink again.
Things had shifted, and their relationship was sort of beginning to reshape itself. Or, they were reshaping it together. She could see the effort Logan had begun to make, and continued to make. The afternoon she’d seduced him and taken over in the bedroom had been a good move, an important one, and he’d learned to let go a lot since then—mostly during sex, and in the intimacy of some of their conversations. But there was still a very deep part of him he was holding back, and she wasn’t sure what more it would take. All she knew was they needed to do more work together, and with just over a week left of their trip, she was beginning to worry there wouldn’t be enough time. If it weren’t for the BDSM class they were attending this afternoon, she might have felt they’d hit a wall as far as how much they could accomplish at the Ranch. But Claudia and Reese had told her the workshop presenter, Arrow, was ex-military, so she knew his words would hold extra weight with Logan.
“Hey, babe,” Logan called as he came out of the bathroom, his hair damp from his shower, and bare other than the towel he had wrapped around his hips. “You look damn good in that silky little robe. Wanna take it off for me?”
God, my husband is so hot .
“Do we have time?” she asked even as a shiver of desire went through her.
He moved in close and tucked her hair behind her ear, then brushed her lips with his. “Time for me to lick your sweet pussy until you come in my mouth,” he said, his voice low and full of gravel.
“Oh…”
He slipped the robe from her shoulders and gently laid her on the side of the bed, her legs hanging off the edge, then he got down on his knees between her thighs. He pushed her knees up so that her feet rested on the edge of the bed, opening her to him, then leaned in to blow his warm breath over her already-hardening clit. Need went from a small ripple to a powerful tide in a split second, and she was wet instantly.
He began to gently brush his fingertips over her folds, then massaged them more firmly while pleasure rose inside her. There were goosebumps all over skin; not from being cold, but from pure excitement as he teased her body.
“Hard and fast for now, babygirl,” he told her before diving right in.
He stroked up her slit with his hot tongue, then back down, his fingers working on either side of her clit, which he knew she loved. He kept stroking, stroking, his tongue sliding up and down her slit, then he spread her pussy lips with his thumbs and pushed his tongue into her waiting hole.
“Oh, yes…”
He began a slow fucking, his tongue almost like a small cock, pressing inside her, swirling around the edges, until she couldn’t help but buck her hips.
He drew back long enough to ask her, “You need me to suck your clit, baby? Yeah, I need it, too. Need to suck you right into my mouth while I fuck you with my fingers.”
The words were so damn hot. Even hotter when he did exactly as he said. His fingers slid inside her easily; she was so, so wet. And his mouth came down on her clit.
He teased the tip with his tongue, then he started to suck, and the pleasure was dizzying, shafts of sensation arcing deep into her body. Her hips rose to meet his mouth, to buck against his fingers as he fucked her faster.
“I’m gonna come, babe!”
He didn’t reply, just sucked her clit harder as her need rose, spiraling so fast she couldn’t hold back, and with his free hand he reached up and pinched her nipple.
Her climax hit so fast, so hard, it was like fireworks going off behind her eyes, lighting up her whole body, searing her from the inside out.
“Oh, oh, ohhh!”
He kept sucking, kept thrusting into her, and in moments she was coming again, the spasms of pleasure so sharp and brilliant she could barely breathe.
“Ah, God, Logan!”
She was trembling all over, her pussy still clenching when he pulled his fingers out of her. He gave her clit one final lick, and she was so sensitive from coming, it almost hurt. But she loved it, loved knowing it was a purposeful little tease on his part. Loved knowing how wicked her husband could be.
He moved up her body and kissed her, and she tasted her own sweet ocean flavor on his tongue.
He pulled back to ask, “How was that, my baby?”
She groaned. “Amazing.”
“Good. Don’t move,” he ordered.
Not that she could have—she was completely limp, her head still buzzing, after coming so hard twice—but she never minded when he gave her a command. In fact, she loved it.
He got up, then came back a minute later and wiped her still-tender pussy with a warm washcloth. He reached under her and gave her bottom a sharp pinch before he stood up.
“Time to get ready, baby.”
“Seriously?” she demanded. “I’m supposed to get right up after what you just did to me?”
“Yep. If I can get my act together with this raging hard-on, then you can get yourself dressed and pretty. I’ll have some tea waiting for you before we have to go.” He leaned over her and gave her a kiss. “Now get to it, woman.”
“Ugh! You’re so mean to me,” she said as she sat up, then got to her feet.
He didn’t answer, instead giving her ass a sharp smack, then chuckling as he left the room.
It was a few minutes before she could catch her breath and get to work doing her hair and makeup, but it had sure as hell been worth it.
When was the last time they’d had sex pretty much every day? Sometimes two and three times a day? Of course, they were with each other all the time here, which made it easier, but she had a feeling it wasn’t going to die down too much when they got home. He was retired, and she was on sabbatical for the year, so they’d have plenty of access to each other. Something to look forward to. In fact, there was a lot to look forward to.
Oh, yes. Things had certainly changed.
They took the elevator up to the second floor and found their way to the 101 room, where classes were held. Logan held the door for his wife, then they found seats in one of the rows near the front. There were at least a dozen other people there already, and more were coming in. It looked like it was going to be a full class. He saw a lot of faces he recognized from their time at the Ranch, both staff and guests. It was a comfortable crowd with all types of people, which was something he’d always loved about the kink community.
The class tonight was on Power Exchange. Logan already had what he thought was a pretty good understanding of what that meant, but from the course description, Arrow was planning to go deeper into the subtleties in various power dynamics, and he was looking forward to hearing what he had to say.
He leaned over to whisper in Rubi’s ear, “How you doing, babe? You good?”
“Mmm, yes. Very good.”
“Your hair smells a little like sex,” he told her.
“And whose fault is that?” she asked, laughing.
“All mine,” he said as he sat back, feeling a bit smug and grinning to himself. “I probably got my face in it after going down on you.”
“It’s not as if I had time to wash it,” she protested, but there was humor in her voice.
“I don’t mind, baby. I kinda love it.”
She turned to him with a grin, and he kissed her cheek, and they held hands as more people got settled into their chairs.
A man with sharp features strode to the front of the room, and everyone went quiet. When he pushed the sleeves of his black Henley up, Logan saw his arms were fully tattooed, and spotted the Army crest on one forearm. Derek had mentioned he was ex-Army.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Mac “Arrow” Smith, but you can call me Arrow. I’ve been involved in kink education for several decades, and I present on a variety of topics, but tonight I’m here to talk about power exchange. How many of you understand what that term means?”
About half of the people in the class raised their hands.
“Good, good,” Arrow said. “So, we’ll start with some basics, then take a deeper dive into the ‘exchange’ part, because that’s really what it all comes down to.”
He talked for a while about the definition of an exchange of power, and how any BDSM dynamic was really an exchange, not simply the submissive or bottom giving their power to the Dominant or Top. Logan was glad to hear it defined in this way, especially for those who were newer to kink. It was something a lot of people didn’t understand coming into the lifestyle.
“So,” Arrow was saying, “while there is—or should be—this exchange of power, with all parties giving their energy, it doesn’t always happen organically. It’s honestly all-too easy to get caught up in your role as a bottom, and maybe even more as a Top, so I’m going to focus on that for a few minutes. As Tops or Dominants, we take on all this responsibility for our partner, whether a life partner, or a play partner for the night, or anything in between, and we often forget to give them our energy beyond what we expend physically during a scene, and in our focus on their needs moment by moment.
“But in a long-term relationship where power exchange is present, whether it’s a 24/7 dynamic, or one we mostly engage in during kink scenes, we have to remember the exchange part. That it’s not all about our bottom or sub giving us their submission, their body, their trust. And it’s also not all about us giving our sub or bottom pain, pleasure, mindfuck. It has to be about us giving them that same part of ourselves we demand from them.”
Logan focused on that last sentence. He knew it was something he struggled with.
“Yes, as a Top or Dominant, we are in a position of power and control,” Arrow continued. “And of course, there’s an enormous component of responsibility that’s intrinsic to the role. But in order for it to be a true exchange, we have to be able to open ourselves up to our partners. Now, in a pickup play situation, or scening with a kinky friend, we have to open up in terms of our desires, our physical abilities, or lack thereof, and our limits—because Tops and Doms are allowed to have limits, too, and it’s important that we inform our partners. But specifically in a long-term relationship, this means sharing things we might even view as weaknesses, particularly when it comes to emotional issues, because these are our deepest sore spots. And those sore spots can be hard to share. We don’t want those areas of vulnerability to cause our partners to view us as not strong enough. Not dominant enough. It’s a fear most of us have.”
Logan had to pull in a quick breath at that idea. He knew Arrow was right—he’d really hit the nail on the head—but this was the part that bothered him. A quick glance to his right, and he saw Rubi looking over at him. She’d caught it, too.
“This is something that took me a very long time to learn, and I wish I’d realized it sooner,” Arrow said. “Because when I wasn’t taking enough care of myself, admitting what my needs were, and addressing the things that stressed me out—a lot of it damage from the past—then I wasn’t able to give my all to my partner. I wasn’t giving all of me .” He paused, his gaze roving across the room; he seemed to be taking in everyone’s response to what he’d just said. “An important part of being on either side of the kink dynamic within a relationship—a crucial part—is vulnerability.”
There was some mumbling and groaning from the crowd, and Arrow smiled.
“Yeah, I know. We Top types don’t like it much, do we? But if we’re not willing to give our partners that deep part of ourselves, then how dare we demand it from them? Sound harsh to some of you? Well, I’m here to teach you, not hold your hands. Maybe more to start the discussion, I guess. Because this is something you need to talk to your partners about. Talk to your kinky or kink-friendly friends. To your therapist, if you have one who’s open to hearing this stuff. Think about it. If journaling works for you, do some of this work that way. It doesn’t matter what form it takes, as long as you make a deal with yourself that you’ll dig deeper, open yourself more. And that’s when you can go really deep with your partner. That’s when it truly becomes an exchange.”
Fuck .
Logan knew he was right. He and Rubi had sort of touched on this, and it was something he’d realized, on some level, at least. But for whatever reason, he heard it more clearly from Arrow.
As the talk continued, Logan tried to focus, but he kept thinking about what Arrow had said.
…specifically in a long-term relationship, this means sharing things we might even view as weaknesses .
Yeah. He knew he was right. But he sure as hell didn’t have to like it, and he damn well didn’t.
By the time the class was over, Logan knew he’d spent too much time in his head with that sentence echoing over and over. As everyone began to exit, he gave himself a mental shake, and put a hand on Rubi’s back as they stood up.
“Baby, I’d like to go talk to Arrow for a moment.”
“Oh, of course.”
They waited while another couple spoke with him, then approached him.
“Arrow? I’m Logan Shaw, and this is my wife, Rubi.”
“Ah, it’s nice to meet you both.” Arrow shook Logan’s hand, then cocked an eyebrow to ask permission before shaking Rubi’s hand, as well. “Derek mentioned your names when he told me there was a military guest here. I hope you two enjoyed the talk?”
“It was wonderful,” Rubi said a bit shyly. She often got a little shy around people who exuded dominance the way he did.
“It was a really good talk,” Logan told him. “There was a lot I needed to hear.”
“That’s great. That’s always my goal as an educator. If you ever have any questions or want to do a deeper dive into any of the subject matter, I’m here for the rest of the week. And since it’s the winter session the schedule is a lot less hectic than usual, and my wife stayed home this trip, so I have some free time.”
Rubi turned and put her hand on Logan’s arm, looking up at him. He knew what she was thinking.
“Thank you. I’d actually really like to take you up on that offer, if that’s okay. It’s not often I get to talk about kink with someone with a similar background.”
“I figured that was the case, and that’s why I offered,” Arrow said with a smile. “I’m having lunch with Derek tomorrow, if you’d like to join us. Unless you two already have plans?”
Logan glanced at Rubi, who gave him a nod and a smile. “I can be free for lunch,” he answered.
“There’s a little café right next to Derek’s office. It’s quieter than the restaurants—and a lot quieter than the cafeteria. Can you make it at one o’clock?”
“Yeah, one works. That would be great.”
Arrow shook his hand again, then took Rubi’s hand for a moment. “Good to meet you both. Have a great evening, and we’ll see you tomorrow, Logan.”
Rubi seemed excited as they made their way back to the main floor of the lodge, her blue eyes dancing.
“I loved everything he was saying in the talk, didn’t you?” she asked as they walked back into their suite.
“He’s a very good speaker,” Logan agreed. He took Rubi’s hand and led her to sit with him on the couch. “A lot of what he said really hit home. That’s why I’m so glad to be able to have some time with him tomorrow. Not that Derek hasn’t been helpful, and I’ve been grateful for the time he’s given me. But with Arrow’s military background, I feel like he’ll get me in a way a lot of other people just can’t, you know?”
“I totally understand that, babe. I’m glad you’re going to meet with him, too.”
He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I’m realizing more and more how incredibly patient you’ve been with me. How willing to get vulnerable with me, despite the fact that I’m opening up a lot more slowly. But this class has given me a lot to think about, and I promise I will. I think talking with Arrow and Derek tomorrow might get a little heavy, so you okay with spending the evening in tonight? I have a lot to process.”
“Of course. This part is important—sort of taking the time to absorb what we learned today.”
“You feel like you learned something, too?”
She nodded. “I needed it pointed out to me that just because you’re my Dom doesn’t mean you don’t still have fears and needs, and because I haven’t really thought about it too much before, it’s something I need to process, too. Something I need to think about and remember to take into consideration. And definitely something we need to talk about at some point.”
“Yeah. That’s kind of what’s going through my head right now, too. I need to wrap my head around the idea, I guess. Hopefully talking with the guys tomorrow will help.”
She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you for being willing to do this.”
“Of course, baby. This is what we’re here for.”
“I know. But… I don’t think I realized how hard some of this was going to be for you. How much you had to face. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so focused on my own issues.”
“You don’t need to be sorry, darlin’. You had no way of knowing what I failed to tell you.”
“It’s not a failure, Logan,” she said, her expression serious. “It’s just part of being human.”
“That’s sort of the hardest part for me to deal with; the being human part.”
“Babe.” She stroked her soft hand over his cheek. “You can be strong and commanding and competent, you can be my Dominant, taking me in hand, taking my submission, and still be human. You can still be a person with feelings and fears and painful memories that affect you without you being any less strong, or any less capable.”
Her eyes shone with so much gentle love right now, it made his heart stutter in his chest.
“I’ll figure this out, Rubi.”
“ We’ll figure it out,” she told him before leaning in to kiss him again.
He wrapped her up in his arms, dragging her closer, and deepened the kiss. Her mouth was so damn sweet as she melted into his arms. He loved that she was so instantly pliant. So much his . As much as his mind was whirling with these not-so-new ideas he’d been fighting for years, probably, it still didn’t hamper the thrill at the taste of her, the scent of her perfume. Her sweet body under his hands.
He pulled back to sweep her sweater over her head, and she smiled as he unfastened her bra and took her gorgeous tits in his palms.
“My turn, babygirl,” he told her.
She laughed, a low, husky sound, and he could tell from that and her hard, dark-pink nipples that she was as turned on as he was. It didn’t take much for either of them since they’d arrived at the Ranch.
He bent to take one nipple in his mouth, and she held his head there, her fingers digging into his scalp as she moaned. His dick was getting hard, then harder, the more he sucked.
“Yes, Logan. I need you to fuck me, please.”
He pulled away from her luscious nipple. “Whatever my girl wants right now, my girl gets,” he said before pushing her gently onto her back on the couch.
She smiled up at him as he kicked his way out of his boots, then his jeans, then tore his shirt over his head. He slipped his boxer briefs off and she reached out for his cock, and it swelled in her hand as she stroked him, pleasure rolling over him.
“Take my jeans off and fuck me now, Sir?” she asked, batting her long lashes.
“Lord, you make me happy,” he told her before he got her naked and lowered his body over hers, then slipped inside her wet, waiting pussy. Her tight core clenched at his rigid shaft like a smooth glove, filling his whole body with pleasure. “I’m gonna fuck you like this so I can suck your tits and kiss your mouth, baby. Then I’m gonna turn you over and fuck you from behind while I spank your delectable ass.”
“Yes, Logan. Do it,” she said, her voice already a breathless pant.
As he surged into her, over and over, nothing had ever felt as good as this woman he’d loved forever, loved so deeply. He swore to himself never to forget about that again.