chaos and apprehension from her mind and replace them with reassurance and love.
“The only way you’ll fail me is to not try,” Hammer assured. “Do you trust me with your body, your safety?”
“Completely.”
Her answer filled him with masculine pride. “Then let me guide you. I won’t fail you.”
“Yes, Sir.” She sighed, closed her eyes—already trying to give herself over.
Pressing his lips to her neck, he slowly loosened her corset. When it slipped from her breasts, he eased back, watching the material fall loosely around her body. The sight of the wicked red bite he’d left on her flawless flesh a few short hours ago burned desire through his veins, seizing him with the urge to mark every inch of her and show the world she belonged to him. Tracing his finger over the welt, Hammer bent and laved his tongue over the swollen impression.
“I’m going to mark you again, precious,” Hammer murmured against her breast.
He felt her shiver before she reached up to slide her fingers through his hair. “I want that.”
Lolling her head to one side, Raine exposed her slender neck to him in invitation. Macen didn’t refuse. He nipped a trail of tiny red blotches as he worked his way toward her mouth. Stopping, he hovered over her lips, tasting her warm breath as he deftly tugged her corset free, letting it drop to the floor.
“What do you call me?” he prompted against her lips.
“Sir. I want that, Sir.”
“Very good.” He cupped her nape and drew her in, holding her captive to his stare. Then he melded their lips together, sweeping deep inside, drinking in her heady power, her luscious control.
A collective gasp echoed through the dungeon, followed by a buzz of hushed whispers. Hammer had no doubt his heated possession of Raine’s mouth, along with his choice of a partner, would keep tongues wagging for days.
Once upon a time, no one had batted an eye when he’d entered the dungeon with a sub. Hell, he’d had a different one damn near every night. But this past spring, Hammer had finished a session with a crop, then reached for his zipper and a condom, only to see tears of agony swimming in Raine’s eyes. The sight had been a jagged stake through his heart.
He didn’t even remember the other woman’s name, but he’d never forgotten the debilitating hurt on Raine’s face. After that moment, he’d more or less stopped sceneing in the dungeon.
And he’d never—ever—kissed any sub with such passion.
Now, he ignored the whispers of the others and took Raine’s mouth again. He’d spent too many years burning for the chance to publicly declare her his. To hell with the rest of the world.
Hammer deepened the kiss and felt his everyday persona begin to slip away…and his natural Dominance take over. His shoulders squared. His chest expanded. Then he fisted Raine’s inky mane as he growled out his possession, took her tongue, and dragged her small body flush against him.
As he claimed her mouth harder still, his lips stung. Raine’s fingers dug into his scalp. Her nipples tightened, and Macen longed to tear off his shirt to feel them against his bare chest.
He dragged his palms down her back, around her waist, as he ate at her mouth. Twisting the small button of her skirt free, Hammer slowly eased the zipper down and pushed at the garment. It fell down her legs.
As he released her mouth, he fused his gaze all over her. He exposed the lovely red ridges—signs of his possession—he’d left earlier on the inside of her snowy thigh and the pad of her smooth pussy. Those brands called to him, tempting him. He couldn’t resist that lure.
Around him, the crowd murmured louder, clearly noting the imprints, too. No doubt they were speculating even now that he’d left those bites on her tender flesh. Hammer’s nostrils flared. Satisfaction filled him.
He inched in close to Raine’s ear. “Step out of your skirt.”
“Yes,” Raine replied. “Sir.”
She’d finally called him Sir in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Pride wasn’t the only thing of Hammer’s that swelled as she affirmed to all around her that she belonged to him. And amid the escalating murmurs, he couldn’t help the gratified smile that pulled at his lips.
With a graceful elegance, Raine stepped from the puddle of clothes at her feet, then cast her gaze toward the floor. God, she’d become the epitome of submission, clearly striving to represent him, as well as herself, in a light so positive it was all but blinding.
Hammer’s world narrowed to only her. He’d always suspected she’d be utterly amazing, but watching her now stirred his Dominance all the way to its depths.
“Climb on the bench.”
She raised her eyes first, reflecting the total trust and faith she had in him. When she extended her hand, Macen helped her kneel on the leather, moving in close behind her as she bent and settled her body over the extended padded surface. He dragged his fingertips down the line of her spine in a whisper-soft touch. Goose bumps peppered her flesh. Turning her head toward him, she focused on his face as he traced indiscriminate patterns over her skin, then issued a soft sigh and closed her eyes.
“You’re like velvet,” he murmured, feeling her tension begin to bleed away beneath his fingers. “Supple. Silky. Warm. Are you ready to take my pleasure and my pain?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Raine’s reply was so soft Hammer almost missed it. But he caught the note of anxiety in her tone. A tiny ripple of tension made her flesh quiver as she waited. Hammer studied her, considering the girl with a frown. She’d come out of the gate so brave. He refused to let her worry or cower now and cling to her power.
Flinging his hand in the air, Macen sent it crashing down and landed a brittle slap across her ass. His palm caught fire as a thin wail tore from her throat. His cock, strangling within the confines of his trousers, twitched as he drank in her cries.
“I can’t hear you,” Hammer barked.
Raine’s head snapped up. She sucked in a shuddering breath. “Yes, Sir.”
Skimming his palm over the imprint blossoming all angry and red, Hammer bent to whisper in her ear.
“Let my burn sink into your bones,” he commanded. “Take my pain. Let it wash over you and carry you away.”
Leaning out to watch Raine’s face, Macen continued to caress the sting away as she lowered her head once more and worked to calm her breathing. Dialed in on her every nuance, he noted that the little line between her eyes he’d spied at breakfast had grown sharper and deeper.
“I’m trying, Sir.”
“You’re doing well, precious. I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
Hammer moved to the side of the bench and caressed his way up her torso before wedging his hand beneath her breast. He teased her nipple between his finger and thumb. Raine’s breath caught on a moan. The line between her brows began to smooth. Hammer smiled.
She’d done a hell of a lot more than try. Raine had processed that slap as if she’d been a well-trained sub. Sometimes, like now, she utterly amazed him.
“Thank you, Sir.” Her voice quivered. A new frown tugged at the corners of her lips.
One well-placed spank wasn’t going to erase her concern for Liam. Hammer knew he needed to help Raine empty her mind by overloading her with sensation.
Feathering kisses down her shoulders, back, and ass, he punctuated each with a fiery scrape of his teeth. He bit into her hip and sucked for a long, satisfying second, then pulled at her flesh as he eased away.
Raine squealed and jolted, her legs flailing involuntarily and almost clipping Hammer in the jaw. He grabbed her ankles and pressed her feet back on the padded surface, then laved his tongue over the soft flesh of her ass.
“Sorry, Sir.”
“I know it wasn’t on purpose. Are you still with me?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“That’s my girl.”
Because he intended to get a lot more physical with her, Hammer fastened the cuffs attached to the embedded eyebolts on the frame around her ankles on
e at a time. As he did, he caressed her skin, keeping a constant physical connection of reassurance.
He was her lifeline, and in more ways than Hammer could really admit, she was his.
“Such a lovely sight,” he murmured. “Spread your legs wider for me.”
Raine readjusted her knees, opening herself up for him—and the watchful eyes of every club member around her.
“Yes, that’s it. So pretty and pink. So wet and inviting,” Hammer praised before bending in close to her ear. “You’re on display, Raine. Everyone is admiring you. Can you feel their hot stares? Feel the heat of arousal from the men you thought never saw you? They see you now…all helpless and bound for me.”
Raine mewled as she slowly opened her eyes, glassy and not quite focused. Hammer smiled. She’d begun to fall away under his hand so easily and trustingly. It wouldn’t take much more for her to sail off into subspace—where he intended to send her.
“Close your eyes,” he demanded softly.
Her lids fluttered shut, and Hammer pressed a tender kiss to each, then moved behind her once again.
The sight of her bound, spread, and wet for him staggered Macen. He fought the urge to unzip his pants and drive his cock into her soft cunt. Instead, he traced the lips of her labia with his thumb and forefinger. Raine’s body rippled. She whimpered. Her pussy clenched at the empty air.
He drew his sodden fingers to his lips and licked them clean, savoring her tart spice.
Hammer smiled as he rounded the frame again, never taking his eyes off her. The delicate lines and feminine angles of her body as she waited for his command made his cock ache and his blood surge.
Bending near her head, he cuffed each of her wrists in the same leisurely, reassuring fashion. Once she was firmly secured to the bench, Hammer twisted his fingers into Raine’s hair and tugged, urging her to lift her head off the leather padding. Staring into her smoky blue eyes, he settled his gaze on her lips, slightly parted and ready to be kissed.
The further Raine drifted into her submissive place and ceded to him, the more power Macen absorbed. As he descended into his Dominance, time slowed. The club and the patrons receded, blurring into the background. But every detail about Raine grew sharper, more defined. He heard her every breath, catalogued the heaviness of her lids, dissected her hint of a smile, absorbed the submissive plea in her eyes as she silently begged for more.
“Your safe word is Paris. Take a deep breath and clear your mind, precious. Focus on my words and all the sensations I’m about to bestow on you.”
She issued a soft sigh and nodded.
“Good girl,” he whispered and kissed the bow of her pink lips.
Stripping off his shirt, Hammer studied the assortment of impact toys lining the table next to him. He chose a thick, heavy flogger. Testing its weight in his hands, he rubbed the wide leather falls between his finger and thumb. Buttery. Supple. Exactly what he needed to free her mind.
Hammer sensed the crowd around him flowing back to give him space to move. The chants of monks mingling with a techno beat faded away. Otherwise, the dungeon sounded eerily quiet, serving to heighten his focus on Raine.
Gripping the cool metal handle in his fist, Hammer raised the flogger before settling the tip of the falls over Raine’s shoulder blades.
She started with a little gasp and tensed.
“I’ve got you. There’ll be no pain. Your body is safe in my care. Let your mind follow.”
Her soft, consenting moan resonated in his head as he slowly dragged the long leather ribbons down her back, letting her grow accustomed to their feel. As he ate her up with his gaze, she shuddered, gave a longing sigh, then arched in supplication. But the heavy rise and fall of her chest told him she was still alert and mentally processing far too much.
“Unwind for me, precious,” Hammer murmured as he skimmed his broad hand over her back. “Focus on my voice, my hand, the pleasure I give you—and nothing more. Nothing. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” she replied with a breathy whisper.
Though Hammer knew her very well as a woman, he was still learning her as a submissive. But he had every reason to believe that giving her permission to let go of her worries would help her find that lovely place in her head where her troubles floated away.
“Let go for me, Raine. Let me take you where you need to be.”
Hammer dipped his hand between her legs and circled her clit with his thumb. Her whole body twitched. As he swept his fingers through her hot nectar, her hips rolled in time with each drag of his digits. She was doing exactly as he’d asked and surrendering beautifully.
“You’re wet and aching for me, aren’t you?” When she moaned, Hammer smiled. Such a satisfying sound… “You’d like me to drive my cock into your tight little cunt and make you come, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes…” Raine strained against the cuffs and ground into his nimble fingers.
“In time, I will. You belong to Liam and me—now and forever. We own every inch of you, and that includes your screams of ecstasy. No one hears them except us.”
Hammer’s proclamation caused a flurry of loud whispers to fly through the dungeon. He ignored them and directed all his attention and energy to the rhythmic sway of Raine’s slender hips. He reveled in guiding her pleasure.
As Macen drove two fingers deep inside her sweltering core, she gave a high-pitched cry that gripped his cock and pulsed in his brain. The rest of the world dissolved.
“That’s it, Raine. Hand your control over to me. It doesn’t belong to you.”
With every moment that passed, her pink folds shimmered more. Her essence flowed. The spicy scent of her cunt nearly made Hammer groan.
He withdrew his fingers from her clutching walls, then dropped to one knee behind her. Dipping in low, he swiped his tongue over her glistening folds, striking her clit with the tip. Her intoxicating flavor exploded on his taste buds.
Raine mewled long and loud. Her nub of nerves hardened beneath his lips. Christ, he wanted to stay here for hours and lap her up while her cries resonated through his brain. But this scene wasn’t about what he wanted, but what she needed.
After one more deliciously long stroke, he savored her, then slowly stood, smoothing his palm down her ass in a long caress. Raine gave him a pleading groan. The depth of her frustration seared him.
“Yes, precious. That’s exactly what I want… You suffering under my hand,” Macen cajoled. “Because you’re mine to tease, please, torture, and enjoy.”
At his words, her spine dipped. She lifted the firm curve of her ass in the air, ready for whatever sensations he heaped on her next, and melted against the leather-topped frame. So fucking perfect…
Hammer raised the flogger and gripped the handle firmly, feeling his biceps bunch from the weight of the bulky falls. Swinging his arm out to the side, he landed the thick bands over Raine’s ivory ass with a heavy thud.
Raine aahed, flinched. Branding every detail of her response into his brain, Hammer brought the leather down again as he memorized each flex of her thighs, gasp of breath, clench of her ass. She turned rosy. Her breathing accelerated. Macen smiled. She didn’t like outright pain, but when he peeked around to her face, the subtle pinch and smoothing of her brow told him she loved the fuck out of this little sting.
Flicking his wrist every so often, forcing the leather to land with an extra bite, he watched as Raine processed the added sensation with an occasional frown. But it wasn’t long before she strained against her cuffs, arching her ass higher into the air in a silent petition for more.
Hammer heard a familiar, soft chuckle and glanced to his left to find Seth had stopped sceneing, too, and now gazed on with interest. He gave Macen a nod, then resumed his study of Raine’s face once more.
The lull between whacks clearly frustrated her as she cried out and tugged at the cuffs around her wrists.
“Ask for what you want,” Hammer instructed.
Her arms and legs quivered. As he pee
ked between her thighs, he noted her slickness now coated her entire pussy. She’d swollen with need, gone from pink to a flushed rose pouting for attention. Macen’s mouth watered.
“Yes, Sir,” she mewled. “Please. More.”
Crouching behind her, Hammer leaned in and captured more of