Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Dana
“But there’s no one here!”
Dana pointed up the narrow dirt road that stretched ahead of them, giving Kurt an encouraging smile.
He gazed back stonily.
Ugh. Goddammit, this was going to be one of those times he was gonna make her work for it.
“Oh, c’mon, Kurt! That sign”—she indicated the metal rectangle attached to the fence connected to the gate that barred the path ahead of them—“is more of a… suggestion than an actual… order.”
“Okay, Cap’n Sparrow, whatever you say.”
Dana groaned. This wasn’t that big of a deal. He shouldn’t be choosing this hill to make a stand on. This shouldn’t be a situation where she had to tease a compromise out of him.
But— dammit !—that’s exactly what he was gonna make her do.
Kurt slowly read the announcement printed in bold black and red on the metal placard, laboriously enunciating each word. “Warning. Restricted Area. Use of deadly force authorized. It is unlawful to enter this area without permission from the Ekalaka Mini-Mutes Site commander. Section Twenty-one, Internal Security Act of?—”
“Alright, alright, fine, stop!” Dana rolled her eyes. “Jesus!”
Okay, time to come at this from a different angle.
“Kurt…” She drew his name out, swaying her hips as she approached him. “You know, if this area is off limits, that means you and I will probably be the only on es up there, and that means, once I’m done looking for the indication…” She came up and put her hands on his hips, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. This tactic was an oldie but a goodie, and it was bound to?—
“Seriously, Dana?” he said with a sigh.
Shit. Okay, don’t give up yet. You can still do this, wear him down...
“I’m just saying, in the eight-plus years we’ve been together now, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve mixed work with pleasure.” She drew her lower lip between her teeth, gazing up at him from under hooded eyes.
“No.”
She slid one hand over, feeling his length through the denim of his jeans. “Are you sure?” she crooned.
“Dana…”
“Because it doesn’t feel like you’re one hundred percent sure…”
“Goddammit, you are something else.” He groaned, but there was no mistaking the other tone in his words.
“It’s just a little over a mile,” she pressed on, slowly stroking up and down. “A short walkaround, maybe a little sample here and there, then a quickie and we’re back here before?—”
Kurt gripped her wrist. “Dana. No.”
Fuck. Why was he being such a tight ass about this?
“Well, maybe I’ll just go alone.” She pouted, taking a step back.
“Your choice, but you know the consequences.”
She growled, looking up into the blue of the early morning sky. “You are not compromising!”
“About trespassing onto Air Force property where the ‘use of deadly force is authorized?’ Damn right I’m not!” He ran his hand over the top of his head, then held it out. “However… ”
Dana brought her gaze back down, studying him keenly.
“However, Gary did say the military would be very eager to work with us if we felt there was merit to this area.”
“And I’ve already said there is!”
“Okay, so once we’re settled in tonight, I’ll put together an email and get him to obtain permission for us to get up there.” Kurt pointed to the road beyond the gate.
“ Augh ! That’ll be… forever!”
“It’ll be tomorrow or the day after, three at most.”
“A lifetime,” she moaned.
“Oh my God…” he muttered, shaking his head.
For a moment, they stood, staring at each other, until Dana turned her gaze wicked. “It’s not too late to change your mind…” Reaching up, she slowly began to unbutton her shirt. He stood motionless, watching as she undid one, then two, then three as she stepped closer to him.
“You. Are. A. Fucking. Brat,” he growled.
“I could be a fucking brat, if we took a little mile-long walk up that?—”
She’d gotten close, too close, as it turned out, and he brought his arms suddenly around her, pulling her into his chest with a crash before she could bolt. He captured her mouth roughly with his, and though she put up a struggle, it wasn’t much of one because… well, she was a brat, and he expected it, and besides, she loved this as much if not more than he did.
The morning air had been cool, as spring had only just come to this part of the country, but right now there was an entirely different heat warming her body as Kurt kissed her passionately. Dana brought her hands up around his neck, returning the kiss as their tongues danced sinuously. Their breathing grew heavier as they held to the other until Kurt pulled away. Dana didn’t let go of him, though, instead moving her head to lay it against his chest.
“Hey.”
She didn’t move. “Hmm?”
“When we get to the resort, I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
Now she leaned back to look up, giving a bright laugh. “Oh, really?”
“I swear. Whatever you’d like.”
She gazed into his eyes. “And if what I’d like happens to align with what you might want, too?” She ground her hips against the bulge trapped between their bodies.
“What could possibly be wrong with that?”
“Nothing.” She kissed him again, and when it was finished, she let him go, taking a few steps back.
“Are you absolutely sure…” She glanced over her shoulder.
Kurt rolled his eyes. “I swear to God, you are relentless .” Taking her by the hand, he tugged her back toward the truck. “Come on, let’s go. We still have a long drive ahead of us.”
And they did. But as they drove through eastern Montana west toward their destination, at no point did Dana feel any of the anger or frustration about leaving the site behind that she would’ve a year ago. And the reason for that had everything to do with where they were headed now. To the place that might not have been the exact spot where it had all begun but was certainly where it had come to a head. The place where she and Kurt had come to the first of so, so many compromises. Some of them in her favor, some of them, like today, in his. But each one agreed upon and respected, even those times when she’d made a choice that had led to him punishing and disciplining her.
“’Bout another two hours to go. You good?”
Dana nodded, leaning back in her seat as she returned to her train of thought. During each of the instances over the past year and a half when she’d chosen to defy Kurt, she’d reminded him of what he’d said; that ultimately it was still her choice to make. In return, he’d reminded her that she was the one who’d have to deal with the consequences of her choices, and she had. Not always without argument—there’d been vehement debates, to be sure—but in the end always with mutual agreement, respect, and compromise.
Another thing Dana had come to realize during the time she and Kurt had solidified this new part of their relationship was that it really wasn’t the threat of being disciplined, nor the actual punishments themselves, that caused her to back away from her sometimes admittedly unwise decisions. Rather, it was acknowledging the freedom inherent in changing her mind with the knowledge of those two things hovering in the background. She no longer felt she was risking her status within her profession, her own sense of self-worth, or anything, for that matter, by accepting that sometimes the choice she was about to make was a poor one and instead giving in to Kurt’s suggestion.
When they turned off the highway and up the gravel road leading to Rawhide Ranch, the sensation of homecoming was more than she’d anticipated. They’d spent a week at the resort the first time they’d come here over a year ago, but once they’d gotten back home and the assays had been done and it was clear the real claim lay on land quite a distance from the main property, the flacks and negotiators had taken over dealing with the Ranch’s lawyers.
They’d also had to work with the people who represented Jason Jaeger, who Gary had explained owned a horse ranch nestled in the foothills of the Sapphire Mountain, practically a horseshoe toss away from Rawhide. The legal eagles had learned that Jagger had once had people sneak onto his land, making an illicit survey and taking samples years before he and Dana had even passed through Rawhide’s gates. That bit of knowledge had explained how Jagger had so easily sussed out on the night of Dana’s rescue what her and Kurt’s real reason for being at Rawhide was, and why he’d been as standoffish as he’d been.
After they’d left Rawhide, Kurt and Dana had stepped away from what McKerr-Dennison was now referring to as the Sapphire Lode and moved on to other projects. That in and of itself wasn’t unusual, but for Dana, this time separating from an assignment had left her with a sense of unfinished business. It wasn’t about the rare earth minerals they’d found; that was going to end up being exactly as she’d envisioned, a potential source of wealth for both the company, the Ranch, and even Jagger, if they chose to pursue it. No, this was personal. Something she hoped she could finally resolve in the short time they’d be here.
Everything about settling in seemed oddly familiar, even though this was only their second visit. But the main lobby, the fireplace, the room they shared this time—there were subtle differences, and yet still she couldn’t shake the sense of homecoming she’d felt earlier. Kurt took her to the Italian restaurant they’d enjoyed their first night here a year ago, and when they were done, they went back to their room to change for the second half of their evening—one that Dana hoped would give her, to some degree, the closure on the feelings that had eluded her when she’d stood in the doorway of a different dungeon on a night that seemed a lifetime ago.
Kurt led her through the lobby and past the guard, then through a pair of huge double doors. The glittering of the million tiny specks of the flecked stone floor sent a shiver through her, because the last time she was here she’d been so tense she hadn’t truly appreciated its beauty. Now, as they stepped into the main space, she took it all in with eyes that saw it in a completely different light.
Kurt gripped her elbow, bringing her to a halt. “Head to the bar,” he commanded quietly. “I have something I need to take care of.”
Dana had slipped so easily into a headspace she hadn’t associated with this place previously, and rather than question where he was headed, she simply nodded as he let her go and turned away. She stood for a second longer taking in everything around her, then began to move toward the bar.
And stopped short.
There, sitting on a stool, was the very person she’d hoped to find at some point tonight. He was chatting with… Luna. Dana was surprised she could remember the young woman’s name, but the man… she had no problem whatsoever remembering his name. And though she hadn’t expected to see him quite this soon, now that she’d found him here there was no reason for her not to take advantage of this opportunity. She didn’t want him to know she was here just yet, so thinking quickly, she formed a plan. Skirting through the crowd standing along the length of the bar, Dana used the guests to hide herself from her target. She kept stealing glances back to wher e he sat, making sure he hadn’t caught sight of her. When she was far enough away to feel safe, she put a young couple between herself and him to mask her presence as she stepped up to the bar. Keeping a wary eye down the length of the counter to make sure she wasn’t seen, she waited in silence until Luna approached to take her order. When she saw Dana, her mouth dropped open in surprise, and Dana shushed her with a sharp gesture, stopping her from drawing unwanted attention.
“You’re back!” Luna stage whispered.
“We are,” Dana whispered mischievously. “Just for a couple of days this time, but… we’re here!”
“Aww… but also… yay!”
Dana shot another glance toward the person she’d been tracking the past few minutes.
“I need to know,” she said, tilting her head. “What does he drink?”
Luna looked sideways, her pupils growing wide as she recognized who Dana was referring to. “Whisky.”
“A shot of the best, most expensive you have.”
“Absolutely!” Luna replied with a huge grin. She came back in less than a minute, setting the glass in front of her. Dana smiled wickedly as she picked up the drink and began moving. Slipping back into the crowd, she angled her way into position so she could approach the man from the side.
And it worked. She set the shot down on the bar with a clack at the same moment his head came around to catch who’d come up.
“Drink.”
Derek Hawkins’ eyes widened until the smile that overtook his face wiped away the surprise.
“Now, darlin’, I know you know that isn’t the way things work around here… ”
She leaned in close. “It is right now, Master Derek,” she replied, affording him the honorific she hadn’t the last time she’d been to Rawhide. Nudging the drink toward him, she added, “Drink.”
Derek’s eyes flashed in a way that sent a delicious shiver racing over Dana’s nerves, but instead of arguing further he simply lifted the glass and threw back the shot.
“Now,” he said firmly as he set the empty glass down, “you wanna tell me what that was all about, Dana?”
Dana. He’d never called her anything other than Ms. Aziz before.
Until now.
“We beat your odds,” she answered, beaming with pride for not only what she and Kurt had done, but also for how Master Derek had just addressed her.
His brow furrowed before slipping back up as recollection turned his puzzlement into a chuckle. “If that’s the case, seems like I should be the one buying you a drink.”
Dana grinned. “We’ll get to that, but first, I wanted to thank you.”
He gave a dip of his head in acknowledgment. “You’re welcome. I take it things are working out?”
“He’s an asshole, and stubborn, and he won’t give in when he really should…”
“So, things are working out.”
Dana smiled. “Yes.”
“Are you happy?”
“Yes.”
“And is he happy?”
Dana glanced over her shoulder. “Well, you can ask him yourself when he gets here, but…” She bobbed her head, her eyes glowing as she turned to look at Derek. “Yes. ”
“Then nothing else matters.” Derek’s sincerity was an embrace that sent warmth coursing through her.
“You’re right about that.”
“Always am.”
She laughed as he grinned back with a look of affection. A friend happy for a friend.
Derek tilted his head. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Sure.”
“You two still just friends with benefits?”
Dana paused before answering. “For now,” she replied quietly.
“For now.”
“We’re in no rush. We’re taking our time.”
Derek nodded. “Fair enough. Nothing wrong with that.”
Which was so true. There was nothing wrong with the way the relationship between her and Kurt had grown over the past year and a half since they’d been at Rawhide. Early on, there had been more than a few occasions when Dana had questioned whether it would last another five minutes. But it had, every time, and the thing was, it’d not only grown stronger, but it had thrived. Dana had once said everything Kurt had proposed at Rawhide seemed like a one-way street. She’d been wrong; it wasn’t. On some days it was an axle-busting, back country dirt road that seemed headed nowhere except straight over a cliff. But those days were honestly rare, and fewer and fewer as time went on. Dana had come to recognize what had evolved between her and Kurt was a mutual give and take. Conversations and discussions that were resolved in compromise, as frequently in her favor as his. And the compromises never felt forced, because neither of them ever truly tried to skew things that way. Sure, there were arguments pro and con, but in the end, there was always agreement, even if sometimes begrudgingly.
Like any healthy relationship.
Someone approaching pulled Dana from her reverie, and both she and Derek turned in that direction.
“Mr. Ellery.” Derek stretched out his hand to Kurt.
“I thought we agreed on first names the last time I was here, Mr. Hawkins.” Kurt shook the man’s hand.
“My apologies; you’re right, we did.”
“How’ve you been, Derek?”
“Well, I was doing okay up until a moment ago. Your friend here”—Derek indicated Dana—“can be a mite pushy when she wants to be, plying me with liquor against my will.”
Kurt shot her a perturbed glance. “Dana!”
“Oh, please, I bought him a drink. Like I really had to twist his arm.”
Derek shrugged. “Okay, so she may be right.”
“I am right.”
Derek gave her a faux sour look. “So… did you come all the way here to rub my nose in the fact you beat my odds?”
“Yes—”
“No!” Kurt snapped a what-the-fuck glance at her before making a conceding gesture. “Okay, maybe a little…”
Derek chuckled. “Well, I’m happy for you both. Truly.”
“Thank you,” she and Kurt said at the same time.
“We were actually back in the area for work”—Kurt gestured toward where they’d come from earlier in the day—“and we thought as long as we were nearby… ”
“We should take advantage of the… amenities,” Dana finished with a knowing look.
“As well you should,” Derek agreed. “A celebration, right?”
“Exactly.” Dana looked between the two men with a devious gleam. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I believe Master Kurt has a promise to keep.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow as Derek laughed.
“By all means. Y’all deserve it.”
“You still owe me a drink!” she called back over her shoulder as Kurt turned her away and began leading her toward the lower play area. “I plan on collecting once we’re done!”
Derek raised his hand in acknowledgment, his sly grin morphing into a smile that lit up his entire face. “We’ll be right here.”
“We?” Dana replied, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
She didn’t need to hear his answer, because at that moment a woman approached, bouncing up to him with an expression of mischievous joy.
Dana didn’t need an introduction to know who she was. Though they’d never met her during her and Kurt’s first visit to Rawhide, Dana had learned through conversations Derek was married to Sadie Hawkins, and that was clearly who was at his side now. Chestnut-colored pigtails hung down to her shoulders, each one completed with brightly colored ribbons. As if she weren’t cute enough, as she gazed into Derek’s face with an impish smile she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. The uniform she was wearing was guaranteed to get not just a Big but any man’s blood pumping; a pink and white plaid skirt that barely reached the top of her thighs, finished with a white button-down blouse barely held together by two little buttons. In the gap between those buttons a lacy bra was clearly visible, as was the top of her thigh-high white stockings just below the hem of her skirt. The only thing incongruous to the outfit—at least in Dana’s mind—was the pair of pink stilettos that adorned her feet. Sadie was obviously comfortable wearing them, because they hadn’t stopped her from bouncing up to Derek as she’d approached.
“Hello, angel.” Derek placed his hands on her hips, halting her bounce as he held her in place possessively.
“Hi, Daddy,” she answered back sweetly, taking her lower lip between her teeth as Derek stared at her with a look that raised the temperature around them by ten degrees.
Dana glanced back at Kurt. ‘ Wow ,’ she mouthed.
He shot her a wicked grin of recognition of what they’d both just observed.
Looking back to the couple for a moment, Dana was just in time to catch Sadie blowing a big bubble from the gum she was chewing. Suddenly it burst, draping her nose, cheeks, and chin with the sticky remains.
“Oh, sweetheart, you’ve made a mess,” Derek said in a voice both amused and aroused. As Sadie reached her hand to her face, he gently brushed it away.
“I’ve got it,” he said in an amused tone as he began to pull the film of gum from her skin. As he finished, he leaned in to whisper something in Sadie’s ear. Whatever it was he said must have been as seductive as her outfit, because her face turned as bright pink as her skirt.
Dana turned back to Kurt. “I don’t believe I’m going to get that drink anytime soon,” she murmured.
“Considering the look on his face, I’d tend to agree.” Kurt placed his hand in the small of her back. “Shall we? ”
Dana nodded, and as Kurt guided her through the lounge, around the bar, then down the six steps into the Dungeon proper, she put any thoughts of Sadie, Derek, and the drink he owed her out of her head. Since it was spring now, and a Friday night, there were more people here than there had been previously. As they wove through the room, a frisson of excitement built within her for whatever Kurt had in mind, including what might be in the black bag he’d picked up from somewhere while he’d been gone.
“Here we go,” Kurt said as they came to a stop in front of one of the pieces of furniture that dotted the space.
Ooh.
Kurt turned her to face him. “So, Dana, as you pointed out to Derek, I did make you a promise earlier today. Are you ready for me to honor it?”
She tilted her head toward the St. Andrew’s Cross behind them. “On that?”
“I don’t know...” Kurt cupped her chin, trapping it between thumb and forefinger. “Have you been a good girl, Dana?”
“Uh, no! But I like being a bad girl.”
The grin that comment earned was almost as good as the sex they’d be having later.
“Ah. So, you admit you were a bad girl today?”
“Absolutely not! I did nothing wrong, sir.”
“But you just said you were a bad girl.”
“Oh, puh-leeze,” she shot back. “You know exactly what I meant.”
“Touché,” he replied, the grin turning into a full-blown smile. Gazing into her face, his look slowly turned from warm to heated. An expression that sent a thrill pooling into a very specific part of her the way it had for more than eight years now.
And hopefully for as many and more to come.
“Take off your clothes, Dana.”
Yes.
She complied, and as she stripped, Kurt put down the bag he’d brought with him, unzipping it to rummage through its contents.
“Okay,” he said, gripping her shoulder as she finished, “turn around, face in.”
Dana spun until she faced the dark, polished wood of the giant X. Kurt guided her into position, then spread her arms and legs as he strapped her to the cross.
As he completed cinching the last binding, Dana asked, “So, what are you punishing me for?”
“When did I say I was punishing you?”
“Umm…” She twisted her head to glance left and right. “You’ve got me bound to a St. Andrew’s Cross?”
“And is it in the corner?”
“Well, it’s pointed toward a corner. Sorta.” She allowed a tiny pause before she continued, filling her tone with sass. “I thought maybe you were expanding your repertoire. You know, broadening your horizons…”
“Really, Dana? That’s the card you want to play right now?”
“I’m just a poor boy from a poor family…”
Kurt gave an elaborate sigh. “I’m not going to lie; thanks to that, I’m really, really , going to enjoy this.”
Dana grinned wickedly. “Glad I could help.”
Kurt stepped closer, his voice a caress as he whispered in her ear. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to enjoy it, too.”
She savored the shiver that electrified her. “Well… maybe. ”
Kurt chuckled as he stepped back. “This is neither discipline, nor punishment, and you know it. What this is, is pleasure. For the both of us.”
“Mmm,” she purred. “If you say so…”
He chuckled. “I swear, you seem to grow brattier by the day.”
“Thank you for noticing, sir.”
“Not that I’m complaining, mind you,” he went on. “It simply reinforces how much I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Well, I might enjoy it, too,” Dana shot back, “if you actually started.”
She expected a retort to her snark. Instead…
FUCK!
Kurt’s hand came down hard on her ass. Fire blossomed across her butt cheek, the shock of the smack almost as painful as the physical burn from his palm.
“One, sir!”
“Oh, no, no, no. No need to call it out. That was a warm-up. A little appetizer for the main course yet to come.”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you just said that,” she groaned.
“Would you like another?”
“No thank?—”
But he wasn’t listening, and the krak of his hand on her flesh ripped a cry out of her.
“ Anngh !”
“Still feeling saucy?”
“Still waiting for you to begin.”
“As you wish.”
Another swat landed, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and by the tenth, the cry had turned to a scream of pain mixed with ecstasy.
“Such a good, good girl,” Kurt crooned, gently massaging her ass. The swirl of his palm stung, but in a way that made Dana arch backward, greedy for more of his touch.
“So, I know earlier I said I wasn’t disciplining or punishing you tonight, but… were you being a brat today?”
“You know the answer to that,” she replied. “Of course I was.”
“You like being a brat, don’t you?”
“For God’s sake, Kurt, what the fuck do you think?”
He laughed. “What do I think? I think you enjoy being a brat because it’s another way of exercising control. And you like control, Dana. I know you’re a submissive, but it occurs to me that submission isn’t about giving up all control, but about choosing when and where you do. Being a brat flaunts that notion. It tells a Dom ‘see, if I really wanted to, I could make you dance to my tune. So, I’m going to press your buttons until I’ve proven my point, and then I’ll let you take over so we both get what we want’. It’s a symbiotic relationship, isn’t it?”
Dana groaned. “Is this a Dom thing? Because, seriously, I’d really rather you go back to spanking me than continue to mansplain submission and being a brat.”
Kurt chuckled. “And my point is proven.”
Dana started to retort, but before she could, Kurt brought his hand down again. Ten more swats and she was gulping in air, tears staining her face, her ass an inferno.
Running the back of his fingers over her cheek, he brushed through the track of wetness glossing her skin, smearing it. He trailed his hand downward along her side, over her rib cage, goosebumps rising in its wake. Coming back up, he cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between a thumb and forefinger. He stopped, then pinched down with slow, steady pressure until he tore another cry out of her. Moving to the opposite side, he repeated the process until she hung taut against the restraints, whimpering.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Dana,” he murmured. “I have no idea how I got so lucky to be with you.”
The praise sent warmth sweeping through her. Her nipples and ass still throbbed, but as the endorphins kicked in, it was less pain that pulsed and more a blanket of pleasure that enveloped her—a desire she willingly yielded to, a yearning that wanted him to do it again and again and again.
Kurt lowered his hand to rub his thumb over her clit in a circular pattern. She let out a soft keen as he did, and a moment later he shifted his hand, slipping a finger inside her.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, sir, yes, sir,” she whimpered.
“Here I am with all these nice toys they gave me, and I haven’t touched a single one. Your pussy’s fucking soaked, and all I’ve done is spank you. But you’re ready to come, aren’t you, Dana? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes!” she hissed. “But… please…”
“Please? Please what?”
“More,” she whispered.
“Ah.” Kurt withdrew his finger and moved to reach inside the bag that lay open beside them.
“Hmm,” he hummed as he rifled through the satchel.
Dana closed her eyes and trembled. A few seconds went by, and he stood back up, anticipation for whatever he’d found making her body tense .
“This should do.”
After a moment’s pause something came to rest at the apex of her spread legs, the cool touch of the object pressed to the heat of her swollen folds.
“Do you know what that is?”
She had a suspicion what it was he’d chosen. The sensation of the material pressing against her wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, a texture she remembered from past sessions. Rather than assume it was the same thing, though, she answered him with a silent shake of her head.
“Ah. Well, no worries; you’re about to find out.”
Another moment of hushed anticipation passed, then a sharp swish snapped through the air before a lance of agony crossed her backside.
She screamed as the crop drew a razor’s edge of fire across her skin. The flat palm of his hand had been a broad swath of pain. This… this was torture condensed to a thin line that concentrated every nerve in her body. She strained against the bindings that held her in place, knew that there would be bruises in the morning from where she’d jerked against them, but in this moment, she felt nothing other than the stripe of torment he’d just inflicted.
Until he created another.
And then another. Dana had thought the chemical rush from his spanking had been powerful, but as the fourth and fifth strike landed, her mind became a sea of chaos, pain building and tumbling until it morphed into something that defied description. She’d asked for more, and Kurt had definitely delivered. The lances crisscrossing her skin had started as anguish but by the tenth they’d become a cocoon of fiery fuzziness that left her teetering on the very edge of subspace .
And then he stopped.
“There you go. There you go,” he murmured. “Good girl. Good girl…”
He came up close to her once more, his hand a caress barely felt over the sun’s-surface heat of her ass.
“God, you’re so fucking beautiful like this,” he whispered into her ear, moving to kiss her neck as she whimpered incomprehensible sounds back at him. Slowly, he moved his hand from the glowing skin of her butt to return between her legs, and she cried out as he pushed two fingers into her, his thumb swirling a pattern over her hood that narrowed her world down to where his hand pleasured her.
“Do you want to come, Dana? Are you ready to come?” he whispered, the words a featherlight stroke against her ear.
She couldn’t speak. The words she wanted to say wouldn’t form. Instead, she communicated her desire in a backward tilt of her head, and that gesture was clearly enough for Kurt to understand.
“Then come.” And he hooked his fingers as deep inside her as he could.
Her world came apart as she orgasmed—an aurora of light and sound and sensation that exploded outward in a scream she felt in every fiber of her being, even though she couldn’t hear it. Though it likely lasted only seconds, for Dana it seemed much longer. When the world around her came back into focus, it was to the sensation of Kurt undoing the leather straps that bound her to the cross. When the last came free, he scooped her into his arms and carried her across the Dungeon. Her body was jelly, the remnants of her orgasm fading on nerves that still jittered. He crossed past other couples at play, the sounds and cries of their own pleasure muted in her ears. As he moved, she tried to form words, but still they wouldn’t come.
Why is my brain so fuzzy right now? Why does it feel like I’m floating?
She gave up trying to understand, instead burrowing in tightly to him. It took her a second to realize it when he came to a stop, then as he settled onto a couch, cradling her within a cage made of his arms.
Okay. This is fine. This is fine.
The image of the dog-surrounded-by-fire meme made her giggle as she gave in to the warm, muzzy bubble surrounding her and… drifted.
When she did open her eyes again, it was to the sensation of Kurt gently stroking her hair with his fingers. Dana pressed into his chest, the warmth of his body a soothing comfort better than the finest linen.
“How’re you doing?”
“ Mmm . Nice. A little sleepy…”
Kurt chuckled, brushing back a stray strand of her hair. “You are fucking gorgeous.”
“I think you’re biased.”
“I most definitely am,” he agreed, bending to kiss her forehead. When he finished, they both returned to cuddling in the blanket of contentment that had grown between them in moments like this during the past year and a half.
“So…” he murmured, breaking the quiet.
“So,” she repeated, the word disappearing into his shirt.
“Can we call this experiment a success?”
Dana looked up, frowning. “Experiment?”
“I mean, what we’ve been doing since the last time we were here, for lack of a better term…”
“Oh!” It took her a moment to fully grasp what he was referring to, but when she got it, she said, “You mean Disciplining Dana.”
He laughed. “I hadn’t really thought of giving it a name, but… yeah, I like that. Disciplining Dana.” He gazed into her eyes. “I think it’s been a success. Do you?”
She gave a single nod. “For me, it most definitely has been.”
“So, what now?”
She laid her head back against him. “Well, now we build on what we started, obviously. And then… if it turns out we both agree in the direction we’re heading, maybe we could try working on a different name.”
Kurt gazed down, his face scrunched quizzically. “Working on a different name? And what would that be?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she answered with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”
The End