Page 26 of Playing with Trouble

I glanced at her, amused.“If it were kidnapping, you’d be in the trunk.”

“Very funny.Where are you taking me?”she demanded to know.

I pulled away from the curb and drove toward Summerlin.“You’ll see.”

That’s all I gave her, knowing she’d figure out our destination soon enough.

Violet remained quiet during the drive, but I saw the recognition dawning on her face as she glanced at the passing streets, the familiar route, and then back to me.

“You’re taking me to the club?”Her tone was incredulous, but the spark of anticipation I saw in her eyes betrayed her indignation.

“Yep,” I said, no explanation needed.

No doubt about it, her realization heightened the awareness between us and by the time we pulled up to the club the air felt rife with sexual tension.She didn’t rebel, didn’t resist, didn’t demand I take her back home as I led her inside.That reaction told me everything I needed to know…that I’d made the right decision bringing her back here.She was about to learn what happened when she pushed the wrong man—or in this case, the right man for her—and I couldn’t wait to educate her.

Early afternoon at the club was much quieter than the evenings.I checked us in and taking Violet’s elbow, I led her to a private, regular play room, not a themed one this time.I closed the door then released her in the center of the room while I walked over to the cupboards and drawers where the toys were kept, examining them.I wanted to see what they had, so I could figure out exactly what I wanted to do to her.

“So, this is it?”she asked dryly, still trying to maintain that rebellious attitude.“You drag me here just to rummage through the toy chest like a kid on Christmas morning?”

I wanted to laugh.It amazed me that she could both aggravate me and amuse me at the same time.But I held in my mirth and glanced over my shoulder at her, my expression stern.She stood in the center of the room, arms crossed, hip cocked, trying her damnedest to look indifferent.

“Patience, Violet,” I said, almost as a warning as I closed the last drawer.“I like knowing what I’m working with before I tame a brat.”

She rolled her eyes.“You’re awfully confident for a man who hasn’t gotten me to agree to anything yet.”

“Oh, you agreed the second you walked through the door to this play room,” I told her as I turned around, my preferred items in hand.I’d finally decided on the paddle, the flogger, the electro-stimulation device, and the nipple clamps.No gag this time, though.“You can call it resistance all you want, but we both know you’re dying for me to take you in hand and make you behave or you’d end this scene with a safeword.Now strip, and don’t make me ask twice.”

Violet stared at me, at the neat row of toys I’d laid out on a table, and for a long, tense second the room narrowed to the war in her eyes.Every expression flickered across her face—tenacity, calculation, desire.Her jaw tightened.Her breath came a fraction quicker.I watched it all, cataloguing the little tells that meant she wanted this badly, but was still nervous of what giving in to me would cost her despite that desire.

She’d spent the past week testing me with her snark and sarcasm, but the rest of her body language told the truth.And right now, I needed her to feel safe enough to make this choice, which made my responsibility to give her that trust all the more crucial.

It was a turning point between us, and for a moment I held still, because forcing her this time would ruin the only thing that mattered: consent given in the clear, and I needed her to give me that.I waited, and then she exhaled, the rest of her defiance draining out of her.Her hands went to the hem of that tee that had mocked me with its slogan, and she stripped—slowly, deliberately, her eyes never leaving mine, like she was handing me all those little pieces of herself she’d been holding back with each article of clothing she removed.

When the last layer hit the floor, the look she gave me was everything I needed to see.Her permission to continue.

I walked up to her, my gaze taking in her gorgeous, naked body and that beautiful, colorful tattoo on her arm that highlighted how unique she was.When I reached her, I tucked a finger beneath her chin and tipped her head back, forcing her to look into my eyes.

“You’re a good girl, Violet,” I murmured, my tone low and husky.“You just don’t know it yet.”But she would, by the time I was done with her in this room.“You just need a little…incentive.”

Something in her eyes softened, like she wanted to be that good girl for me, despite her independent, willful personality.

“Get on that bench and straddle it,” I said, releasing her chin and pointing to the piece of equipment I was referring to.

Violet obeyed without argument, proving that she was all in.

The spanking bench was sturdy and built from heavy wood and thick leather padding.It looked almost like a massage table reimagined for all sorts of depraved pleasures, with angled knee pads where Violet knelt, a long, three inch padded surface that supported her torso and let her breasts dangle on either side, and rests for her arms.The design kept her back arched, legs indecently spread, ass perfectly presented, and everything accessible.

Adjustable straps and cuffs were built into the frame to tie down a partner, but today I wanted her unrestrained.I wanted her obedience to come from her own choice and free will, and not from forced confinement.

She rested her face against the cushioned headrest, and I was stunned at how gorgeous she was like this, hair spilling loose and every line of her naked body presented to me, for whatever discipline I chose for her.But what struck me harder was the vulnerability in the position.For all of Violet’s sass and defiance, she was trusting me enough to bare herself to me like this, and choosing to give me that power over her.It was a gift that humbled me.

“Now that you’re settled, you stay put,” I ordered, taking off my t-shirt and tossing it aside, but left my jeans on for now.“If you do need to stretch or reposition yourself, say ‘yellow’.Otherwise, you don’t move.Understood?”

She hesitated and I gave her a hard, stinging spank across her bare ass with my hand.

She yelped in surprise.“Yes, I understand,” she said quickly.A brief pause ensued, then she added, “Sir.”

I smiled to myself.“Good.I appreciate that you remembered.”I gently stroked my hand down her back, giving her a soft touch before her discipline began, my gaze lingering on every place I wanted to put my mark.“But if you think being respectful now is going to get you out of this, or make your punishment easy, you’re mistaken.You brought this on yourself, didn’t you, Violet?”