AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When her trembling got worse, Lukus pulled her to stand in front of him. She pulled the sheet along with her. He was waiting for an answer. She knew it.
“Please be careful with the cane, Lukus. It was Jake’s favorite form of torture that weekend in the cabin. It’s just… my last caning ended with me sporting several dozen open cuts.”
Anger and protectiveness warred in his green eyes. “Sweetheart, this is a promise. While you certainly will not enjoy this punishment, you’llneverreceive anything even close to open wounds at my hands. Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” Bri whimpered.
“Do you believe me?”
Bri took a few seconds longer this time, but when she answeredYes,she meant it. She instinctively trusted Lukus.
Feeling better, Bri turned to hug Tiffany, trying to keep the sheet wrapped around her. “I’m so sorry to have dragged you into this whole mess, Tiff. I’m selfishly happy, though. I don’t know what I’d do without you here helping me through this.”
As Bri stood to follow Lukus, he changed his directions. “Master Derek, take Brianna down and get her situated. I’d like a word with Tiffany… alone. I’ll be right behind you.”
“You got it, boss. Come along, little girl.” Bri gave Tiff and Lukus one last glance before she left ahead of Master Derek. She sure hoped Tiff behaved herself and didn’t find out what happened at the count of three.
* * *
Tiffany
Tiffany watched with trepidation as her best friend left with the huge hulk of a man. Even knowing Bri was going to be caned a dozen times, Tiff wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn't prefer to trade places with her friend at this moment. The look Lukus was giving her seemed more ominous than the cane.
Just keep your damn mouth shut, Tiffany. Stop trying to poke the bear.
Once alone, Lukus took a seat, facing Tiff on the bed. "I see you've thought better of pushing me to three." The jerk smirked while acknowledging her small achievement.
His eyes were boring into her, testing her ability to remain quiet. She had to fight down the urge to tell him to screw off because she instinctually knew he wasn’t making an idle threat. She might not know exactlywhatwould happen if he got to three, but she was pretty sure she wouldn’t like it.
Or would she? She hated to admit it, even to herself, but Bri had been right. While she might have only experienced parts of the BDSM lifestyle vicariously through books and Bri, that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious. Scratch that—she was more than curious. There had been a time when she’d wanted to explore her submissive tendencies every bit as much as her best friend. Only watching the hell that Bri had gone through at the hands of Jake had helped push her desire down. Since then, the closest she’d ever gotten to reality was a lame spanking at the hands of Jason. He had only done it to please her, but the spanking was so anti-climactic that she’d written the whole thing off as a complete failure.
So why did she find herself biting her tongue to keep from pushing him to three? It would have been so easy. Luckily, Lukus spoke before she could open her mouth again.
“I see it in your eyes, Tiffany. You’re fighting it. You want me to get to three, don’t you?” Her breath hitched as Lukus watched her drowning in the conflicting emotions that had to be parading across her face before continuing. “While I do realize you're neither my sub nor a club member, you are a guest in my home. I therefore expect you to behave yourself accordingly. There are consequences, even for houseguests, for broken rules. Understood?"
What she was tempted to say was, ‘screw you, you big bully.’ What came out was, “Yes, Sir.” While self-loathing invaded for caving in, she quickly became grateful for choosing the submissive route when she was rewarded with one of the sexiest smiles she’d ever seen. A warm glow of pleasure washed over her at Lukus’s obvious approval of her submission. The warmth flowed through her, settling squarely at the apex of her pressed-together thighs. The submissive sensation was new, but didn’t feel wrong.
Their eyes locked as Lukus reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her face. Before her scrambled brain could think of something clever to say, he was on his feet, stalking to the door. Only when he was almost gone did Tiff know what she wanted to say.
“Lukus?" She called out.
Already half out the door, he turned back to give her his attention. He waited patiently for her to spit it out. “Lukus. If you hurt her... I meanreallyhurt her... I'll never forgive you.”
He slowly walked back to Tiffany who was still sitting on her knees near the edge of his messed-up bed. His face was a mask. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or not, but it didn’t matter. She had needed to warn him. Still, the intensity of his gaze drove her to look down at her hands, wringing in her lap.
Tiff startled when he reached out to cup her cheek, pulling her face up, until she again met his gaze. The previously absent tenderness in his eyes was a welcome comfort.
“Baby. If I really hurt her…I’dnever forgive myself.”
Her sharp intake of breath was her only response as Lukus dropped his hand and quickly strode out of the room, leaving Tiffany with a racing heart and a completely overwhelmed mind.
I’m in so much trouble here. The man is like a freaking irresistible magnet. Be careful, Tiff!
Chapter Eight
Brianna
By the time Brianna and Derek reached the dungeon, Brianna had worked herself into a near panic attack. With each step she took, the unwanted memories of her last caning at the hands of Jake returned. While the open wounds had healed with time, the internal scarring was harder to treat. As they passed through the backstage area, Bri slowed, subconsciously trying to delay the inevitable. Eventually she came to a dead stop in the wide doorway leading to the stage, causing Derek to walk into her back.
