Disciplining Dana (Submissives of Rawhide Ranch #9)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Dana

“What’s wrong?”

And that was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, in a nutshell. The one Dana Aziz had been asking herself for months— no, dammit, not months, more than a year! —now. The one that bugged her late at night when her eyes were closed but the vague, plaguing images still performed their ghostly dances against the back of her eyelids. The one that made her pause at the kitchen counter, coffee cup halfway to her mouth, suspended in midair while thoughts intruded to bring the world to a halt as she tried to grasp whatever ephemeral thing simply felt… off.

That had her standing motionless at the entrance to the dungeon of Bar Sinstre and not having a single idea what to do next.

Which was bullshit. Because she should know. She was the one who’d asked Kurt to bring her here. In fact, she’d insisted on it, despite his protests it was still too soon after the accident. She was the one who’d snapped that she’d be the judge whether she was ready to return to the club or not. And now, here they were—she in her finest kink-wear, Kurt looking all Dommy-yummy in the black suit she’d bought him two years ago in England. The one that complemented his sandy-brown hair and sea-foam green eyes so perfectly. And yet despite all of that and the entire array of bondage furniture and accoutrements the club offered spread out in front of her, she still stood frozen, unable to take the next step forward because…

Because… wh at? What’s wrong?

“Dana?”

Kurt’s lips were an inch from her ear, his breath warm, his hand lightly pressed into the small of her back. There was no compelling, explainable reason for the frisson of irritation that immediately skated over her nerves. And yet…

“Why do you think anything’s wrong?”

Kurt sighed. “Oh, c’mon. I can tell when something’s bugging you.”

“Nothing’s bugging me,” she grumbled with a glance over her shoulder.

“Oh, really?” He raised his eyebrow slowly.

Her irritation ratcheted up another notch. “Yes, really. I’m just… sore,” she said, looking forward once more.

“Well, that’s your own fault. You never should have?—”

Now she turned completely. “Don’t start with me again.”

He brought up both his hands. “Okay, okay… sorry.” He gazed at her for a long moment. “Do you just want to leave?” he asked as quietly as he could over the sounds of people engaged in sexual play that filled the room ahead of them. Sounds that on any other night would have—should have—thrilled her.

So why aren’t they, Dana?

“No!” Her jaw tightened, because leaving was the last thing she wanted even though staying seemed to only be making things worse. “I need…” She waved her hand behind her, trying to make Kurt see thoughts she herself was having a hard time articulating. “I need a distraction.”

“Well, that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

“Then do something!” Dana hated that her tone had any trace of the plea she clearly heard in it. Maybe Kurt hadn’t noticed…

“Alright.” Quiet. Patient. Understanding. “Let’s go.”

Fuck.

He gripped her arm, turning her around firmly before leading her into the room. At times like this, she craved his taking charge, and she both hated and felt grateful that was exactly what he was doing. Like so many other nights she’d spent with him in places like this—in BDSM clubs in San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, Berlin, San Paulo, Bogotá, and a host of others—all it would take was one word and anything he was doing would come to a complete stop. And the times she’d needed to draw on that single word she could count on one hand and still have digits left over. She’d told him the truth; she needed a distraction tonight. She needed a diversion to drive away the frustration over what had taken place two months ago in South America. Something that would push back, even if only for the evening, the memory of those flitting demons that skittered just out of reach in the labyrinth of her mind. Thoughts she wanted to pretend she didn’t recognize the source of even though—despite her insistence otherwise—she absolutely knew she did.

As he strode across the room, he maneuvered her past the other couples at play. Past the woman bent over the spanking bench, her body bowed as her partner brought her hand down in rapid succession across an ass already fiery red. Past the man strapped to the St. Andrews Cross, his balls and cock caged, his Domme dragging the leading edge of a dragon tail crop down his chest. They wove through the crowd, and the further they went, the more curious Dana became because she’d had a fairly good idea where they might end up, and Kurt had already passed those places. Now they were almost clear across the room, and she had no idea what he was?—

Oh.

Kurt turned to face her, several heavy chains dangling from the ceiling at his back. “I’ll be back in a moment,” he said firmly, still gripping her arm. “When I get here, I want you completely naked.”

Ohhhh…kay.

“Yes, sir,” she replied quietly.

He let her go, and as he strode away, her mind raced wildly with questions.

What the hell does he have planned here?

The rigging chains. Anticipation pricked with trepidation danced over her nerves as she looked at those chains while undoing the ties to her corset. Kurt had played with her on nearly every piece of furniture in the room, but not once before had he brought her here. She pulled her gaze from the chains to his back, tracking as he moved to the counter where the club kept their dungeon gear. The air of the room cooled flesh trapped for hours beneath her leather corset, but it wasn’t only the chill which caused her areolas to pebble. Dana had watched other couples play in this spot before. Kurt could have any number of things in mind, and all of them had her heart thumping, adrenaline flooding through her. Whatever he intended, one thing was certain: it was going to involve something she’d never done before, would probably push some boundaries, and...

Well, you did tell him you needed a distraction.

The corset completely free, Dana bundled it together and set it on the floor. As she continued undressing, Kurt carried on his discussion with someone at the counter, nodding as the man spoke. By the time her skirt, garters, stockings—everything—was off and piled neatly, it wasn’t solely Kurt striding back toward her, but the other man, too, carrying a gear bag and with an object she couldn’t identify slung over his shoulder.

Kurt stopped in front of her, giving her an appraising look. “Good girl,” he said, quietly before turning to the man standing behind him.

“Yeah, this’ll work,” the man replied with a nod.

Kurt turned back to her. “Okay, we’ve never done this before, so Master Eric is going to help guide us through this tonight, understand?”

Dana may have been distracted earlier, but right now her attention was acutely focused. “What are we doing, sir?” she asked, softly.

“Suspending you,” was all he replied, returning to the man behind him.

Master Eric stepped forward. “This is a full body harness.” He pulled the object that had been draped over his shoulder off so Dana could see it. “Since this is your first time, we won’t be doing anything fancy with rope or chains or shit like that. This”—he hefted up the piece of gear so every strap and buckle dangled free—“is a glorified construction worker’s safety harness, but since this is your first time, it’ll be easier on you than rope would.” He spread out the harness openings. “Okay, I’m going to strap you in now. Just do exactly what I say, alright?”

“Yes, sir,” Dana murmured.

Master Eric moved behind her, and a moment later, he gripped her wrist, pulling her arm to the side as cool leather slid up and over her shoulder. The other side soon followed, and then he was in front of her, positioning the straps of the harness in an X under her breasts. His movements were quick, deft and impersonal, so that even when he brushed over her nipple with his hand there was nothing sexual about it. He tugged the waistband into place around her hips, then cinched the buckles tight.

“Good?” he asked, staring into her eyes.

She nodded silently.

“Not too tight anywhere?”

She shook her head.

“Cool. It should be snug, but if it’s too tight, especially around the inner thighs, it’ll cut off circulation, and we don’t want that. If you start feeling any tingling or a loss of sensation in your feet or legs, you let your Master know immediately, okay?”

Dana didn’t correct him that Kurt wasn’t her Master, that their relationship didn’t include that dynamic, because right now there was a whole lot more occupying her attention than rectifying that assumption.

“Yes, sir.”

Master Eric turned to Kurt. “Okay, you need to keep an eye on her constantly. Also, run your hand over her periodically, especially her thighs, legs, ankles, feet. If her skin starts feeling cool or clammy, her ass comes down immediately, understood?”

“Got it.”

Master Eric clapped his hands. “Okay, let’s get her up.”

Both men turned to face Dana, and Kurt took her by the shoulders, guiding her in front of the chains which swung gently back and forth.

“Face me,” Kurt told her, gazing into her eyes.

Dana did as she was ordered, and a moment later the harness tugged at her shoulders, followed by a sharp kli- klack . Another tug came a second later at her waist, accompanied by the same sound.

“’Kay, she’s hooked in.”

Kurt continued to lock his gaze with hers. “You ready?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He nodded, and there was a sudden yank as a shinkshinkshink sound clattered from above her.

Her feet came up off the ground.

Being lifted like this was a somewhat unsettling sensation. Dana had gone rock climbing a few times, and she’d gone through belay training, but this… this was something else entirely. The bite of the leather into her skin, the fact she was entirely naked—not that that was a new experience for her in a club, but… still. Everything happening was the distraction she’d asked for in spades.

She came to a stop and looked around. Her feet weren’t far off the ground, but that didn’t make it any less unnerving. Which made what happened next even more so.

She fell forward.

At least that was her impression of what was happening. As she was pulled back by her waist, her legs jerked when she was momentarily thrown off-balance until she was flattened out face down, an unseen arm supporting her just under her knees.

Kurt’s face came into view. “Bend your legs back. Like you’re trying to do that yoga position I’ve seen you make.”

Dhanurasana. Kurt was asking for the bow pose, so she bent her legs at the knees, curling them back as far as she could. Kurt disappeared, and a moment later someone—she assumed it was him—was affixing restraints around her ankles. She stared forward, catching people looking on with curiosity as the two men worked behind her.

Snik, snik came a slight jerk to each leg, then the arm that had been supporting her vanished, and she was floating horizontally, legs kept in position by the ankle restraints, her body held aloft, captured in the biting straps of the harness clipped to the chains that disappeared into the ceiling.

Suspended.

Kurt returned, kneeling in front of her.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

Before he could say anything further, a pair of legs appeared to his side, and Master Eric’s voice drifted down.

“Okay, since this is her first time being suspended, we’ll be safe and limit this to twenty minutes max. Like I told you, you keep an eye on her, and if there’s any sign of discomfort, you haul her down.” He knelt beside Kurt to look into Dana’s eyes. “And you, young lady… you remember what I told you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then don’t try and be a hero and tough your way through. If you start feeling numb, you say something, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

He smiled. “Good girl.” Rising from her view, there was a short pause before she heard him say “Well, have fun!” and disappeared.

Once the man was gone, Kurt turned and brought a pair of his fingers under her chin. “So, let’s talk about what’s going to happen next.” His voice was warm, almost gentle. Given where they were, though, and what she anticipated was about to take place, the excitement it sent through her was deliciously electric.

“For the next twenty minutes I have you completely at my mercy. What I intend to do is turn that sweet little ass of yours a very bright red, and then, if you beg me nicely, I’ll make you come in front of all these nice people. Would you like that, Dana?”

“Would it matter if I said no?”

Kurt chuckled. “No, not really.”

“Then kinda pointless to ask, isn’t it?”

“I want you to feel like you’re invested in this.”

“Even if it isn’t true.”

“Well, that’s for you to decide, but still…”

He was setting the mood and doing a damned good job of it. Her body was tense, and though she couldn’t touch herself, she was sure her pussy was wet and swollen. Despite the tension from earlier, he sure as hell had delivered on his promise to distract her.

“So,” she said, eyes narrowing, “are you just gonna stare at me with that goofy smile or are you actually gonna do something?”

Now he laughed. “Oh, Dana”—he patted her cheek—“sometimes you make things so easy.” With that he stood and moved out of her line of sight.

Dana could hear him moving behind her, then it went quiet. The touch of his hand to her ass a moment later made her flinch, but he only began to rub in smooth, gentle circles, and the jolt of adrenaline that had shot through her quickly faded. He continued stroking, the graze of his calloused palm both soothing and frustrating in equal measure. That was exactly what he’d meant to do, but before she could let him know she was onto his game, his hand came away and crashed down without warning a millisecond later .

FUCK!

“One, sir!” she cried out as she knew she should. Kurt had played a game once where he’d tricked her into taking several swats without calling them out, making her start from the beginning. Having learnt her lesson, she’d vowed never to let him pull that on her again.

Fire burst across her other cheek.

“Two, sir!” The second swat was soon followed by a third, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and by the tenth, Dana’s cry was a shuddering mix of pain and ecstasy.

Kurt paused. “Good girl, Dana. Good girl.” He returned to gently massaging her ass, and the swirl of his palm burned in a way that made her ass arch upward, greedy for his touch.

“Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are when you’re a little needy?” he asked quietly.

“Pretty sure it’s my crying that makes you find me gorgeous.”

Again, he laughed. “Touché.” He ran his fingers up her spine, across her shoulder, then back downward, raising goosebumps in his wake. He grazed his nails along her rib cage, stopping to cup her breast. Rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, he pinched down with slow, steady pressure that soon had her back bowing as he tore another cry out of her. He moved across to do the same thing to her other bud, and by the time he’d finished, she hung taut against the restraints, whimpering.

“So fucking beautiful,” he murmured. “Such a good, good girl.”

His praise lessened a measure of the thrumming pain still radiating through her. When he removed his hand from her breast, it reappeared a moment later at her pussy, palming it. He parted her with his fingers as he brushed his thumb over her clit in a circular pattern.

“Ahhh!”

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, sir, yes, sir.”

“Your fucking pussy’s dripping, Dana. What would you like? You want me to make you come? Would you like that?”

“Yes, sir! Please, sir!”

“Or should I spank that sweet little ass of yours again?”

“Sir...”

“Yeesss?”

“Please.”

“Okay, another spanking it is.”

“No!” Dana cried, but Kurt’s hand was already gone. A second later, another ten swats came crashing down. By the end of this newest set of ten smacks, the articulation of her count had become almost unintelligible, the words smeared with pain.

Kurt caressed her ass until her cries turned to whimpers. When he leaned over her once more, his breath was a feather against her ear.

“So… do you want to come this time, Dana? Or count out another ten?”

“I told you before!” she protested weakly.

“I sensed… uncertainty in your answer.”

“There wasn’t!”

“What. Do. You. Want?”

Dana groaned. “Please make me come, sir.”

“Good girl.”

He moved his fingers back to her sex, parting her folds, dipping inside her. Dana gasped, and as Kurt began to fingerfuck her, her voice turned from whimpers to moans. Once more, he returned his thumb to her clit, and soon Dana was shivering within the restraints, balanced on the edge of the orgasm she’d asked for and he was finally giving.

“God, you look so fucking beautiful like this,” he whispered in her ear.

He moved faster now, working her to that breakover point where she’d slip over the edge and fall into the orgasm her body craved. Her earlier anxiety was gone, and now… now Dana had no uncertainty about what she wanted.

She wanted to come.

“Please, God, please, sir! Please let me come, please let me come, pleaseletmecome! ” The words spilled out of her, piling one atop the other.

“Then do it, Dana. Come.”

And she did.

Her body arched, and she screamed something that might’ve been his name, or maybe wasn’t. It didn’t matter; it was a drawn-out note of pure pleasure, a cry that told Kurt and everyone in the room exactly what she was feeling. Her pussy clamped on his fingers, and Kurt hooked them inside her, riding along with her on the wave of carnal bliss she was lost in.

“Good girl, good girl.”

Realization he was leaning over her once again, the words a warm caress at her ear, sent indulgence radiating through her. Her chest heaved as she came down off her orgasm, everything slowly coming back into focus as she calmed.

Kurt withdrew his fingers, and Dana keened at the loss. The cry elicited a chuckle, but he didn’t return to her swollen sex, instead pulling away from view.

“All done?” someone asked .

“Yeah, I’d say so.”

“Gotta admit, that was pretty fucking hot.” The voice came from somewhere close by and Dana now remembered it belonged to the dungeon monitor. “For your first time, you guys did incredible.”

“Thank you.” The pride in Kurt’s tone was unmistakable.

“Alright,” Master Eric said, “let’s get her down so you can get her to aftercare.”

Both men began to move around her, and Dana gave in to indolence as they worked to reverse the suspension. Soon, the dungeon monitor undid the last of the restraints, and Kurt scooped her up to carry her across the dungeon.

Her body was jelly, and as they moved, she lay cradled against him, relishing the flood of endorphins seeping through her. It wasn’t subspace, but… it was close enough. It was good. It had driven away the demons, even if only for a bit.

Dana kept her eyes closed as they wove their way through the dungeon, only opening them again as Kurt settled down onto a dark-brown leather couch, curling her into his lap.

“Better?” he murmured as she leaned into his chest, his suit jacket draped over her.

“Yes,” Dana whispered, and only part of it was a lie.

She closed her eyes as he gently stroked her hair, his other arm wrapped around her waist to keep her tight against him. The erotic sounds of people still at play—the crack of leather against skin, a cry that turned to a moan of carnal pleasure—became a muted background hum, and Dana let her mind drift, enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he shifted subtly, but she opened her eyes and looked up, murmuring, “ Mmm .”

“You okay?” he asked gently.

“Yes, sir,” she whispered.

“What do you want to do now?”

Dana blinked. “Can you… can we go back to my place?”

“Of course,” he said with a nod. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“I’m ready.”

Kurt stood and pulled her up with him. After taking a moment to steady her on her feet, he motioned with his head toward the end of the couch where her clothing lay in a neat pile. Dana pulled them to her and began to dress.

“I’m going to get you some water.” Kurt turned and disappeared back into the club. By the time he returned, Dana had almost finished putting herself back together.

“Thank you,” she said when he handed her the bottle. After undoing the cap, she took several large gulps while he watched.

“You good?”

“Yes,” she replied with a quick smile.

Kurt took her by the arm and guided her through the club. They stopped only once to thank Master Eric for all he’d done, then they were out at valet, and ten minutes later they were on the 101, heading for her place in Angora Hills.

By the time Kurt pulled into her drive, she’d drifted off, the hum of the truck tires on the freeway having lulled her into a light sleep. Now as he came to a stop, she opened her eyes, yawning.

“We’re here,” he said quietly.

“Thank you. ”

She slipped out of the vehicle and crossed to the front door, fumbling with her keys. Once inside, she flicked on the lights and headed straight to her bedroom.

“Can I get you anything?” Kurt asked, leaning against the doorway.

“No, I’m good, thanks.”

For the second time that night, Dana began removing her clothing. As she did, Kurt watched her in silence, and the agitation that had calmed at the club began to creep back once again. Letting her clothing fall into a crumpled heap on the floor, she tried to push back against the emotion, but the intrusive thoughts continued to advance, gaining ground with the support of Kurt’s taciturn gaze. With everything off, she slipped into her bathroom to pee, and when she emerged, he was still standing exactly where he’d been since they’d come in.

Goddammit.

“What?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“Did you enjoy tonight?”

Something about the tone of his voice had the irritation she’d been fighting blossom from a scratching at her nerves into the full-blown frustration she’d felt in the club when the evening had begun. “That’s a stupid question. Of course I did.”

He closed his eyes briefly. “Sorry I asked.”

Fuck. Kurt didn’t deserve this, but neither did she. She didn’t deserve these irrational thoughts that refused to go away, and he didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of the exasperation they caused. She deserved to be… happy right now. Happy with where her life was. Happy to be in a relationship with a guy who supported her in so many ways. Happy to be… happy.

So why aren’t you ?

“Are you going to come to bed and fuck me or not?” she demanded.

Kurt drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Dana, you know if something’s wrong you can always tell me…”

Her annoyance flared to anger. “That’s the second time tonight you’ve said that. Why are you so convinced there’s something wrong?”

“Because I’m your friend, and after seven years, I’ve learned to recognize when you’ve got something on your mind.” The patience in his voice should’ve been comforting.

It wasn’t.

“It’s… nothing.”

Except it wasn’t. It was… everything right now. Every thought that whispered words of anxiety that shouldn’t be, fears she tried to convince herself didn’t exist and yet wouldn’t go away.

“Nothing?”

“Yeah, Kurt, nothing. Nothing I want to discuss right now, or that you should be worried about, okay?”

“Fine, I won’t press.”

“Thank you.”

For a moment neither of them said a word, but the fact he hadn’t moved from the doorway to take her to the bed and pound her brains out had her struggling to keep her from curling her fingers into a clench.

“Do you want me to spend the night?” he asked.

“Entirely up to you.”

“You know,” he replied after a moment of thought, “I think I’m just gonna go. Give you some alone-time.”

“Okay.” Dana said it stoically, but what she wanted to do was scream. It would’ve been so much easier if for just once— just once —he’d behave like a selfish asshole. Except he wouldn’t, because he wasn’t.

Dammit.

Kurt pulled away from the doorway and crossed the room to her. He took her in his arms and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Night, Dana.”

“Night.” She wanted to sound indifferent, but instead it came out aggravated, because he was aggravating her.

Way to deflect, Dana.

Kurt started to pull away, but Dana grabbed the edges of his sport coat, yanking him back. She tipped her head up and pulled him down into a kiss.

A real kiss. A hard, deep kiss.

She drew back, gazing up at him. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome,” he replied with a puzzled look.

“I promise, it’s not you. It’s just…”

Kurt took a step back, and she let him go. “Don’t worry about it. I’m meeting Gary on Wednesday. I’ll call you after that? Maybe we can have dinner?”

“Sure,” she said, smiling tightly.

He paused for a moment to regard her. “You know I’m always here if you need a sympathetic ear...”

“I know.” And she did. Which made her exasperation with herself all the worse.

Kurt was less than ten minutes out the door by the time she’d turned all the lights out and lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. I shouldn’t be lying here right now. I should be getting my brains fucked out by the one person in my life who actually cares about me. The one person who didn’t see her as simply a prodigy, or a cause célèbre within the field they both worked in. The Rainmaker who consistently brought home the goods, even if her methods sometimes left people—with Kurt foremost among them—shaking their heads.

“Irresponsible,” they said. Rash. Reckless.

Undisciplined.

And that was what drove so much of her anger and frustration of late. Because Dana needed to prove them wrong. She wasn’t any of those things.

Except there were still those thoughts that wouldn’t go away. The ones that plagued her even now as the shifting patterns of shadow and light played across the ceiling and walls of her room.

The thought that maybe they were right.