Liability

  She smiled and nodded. “I consent to you flogging me.” She grinned, making him chuckle.

  “You’re a little bit of a smart-ass, huh?”

  “You got that right,” Cole said.

  Mason looked up and caught Cole’s gaze again. Those damned blue eyes.

  Cole was smirking.

  Mason fought the urge to reach down into his jeans and adjust his cock, although it was starting to throb more than a little. “And you’re okay with me flogging her?”

  Cole nodded, still holding the flogger out to him. “I would prefer that you flogged her.” His smirk faded. “Give me time to adjust to this, please? Taking charge in bed is one thing. Once I see how it’s done and she’s liking it, maybe I’ll be able to handle it.”

  “Okay. Fair enough.”

  Mason stood and walked around behind Kim, this time taking the flogger from Cole, who acted like he couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. Cole stepped back out of the way while Mason leaned in to talk with Kim again.

  “You’re okay with me touching your back, shoulders, sides, and arms?”

  “Anywhere you want.” She grinned up at him.

  He felt his inner Dom and sadist, which had lain dormant for far too damn long, wake up and lazily stretch. He arched an eyebrow at her and dropped into Dom tone. “What was that?”

  The smile froze on her face, adorable. When she spoke again, she sounded more subdued.

  Subby.

  “You can touch my back, shoulders, sides, and arms, sir,” she softly said.

  “And your hair?”

  “Hair?”

  “Hair.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  He arched his eyebrow again.

  “Yes, sir,” she said.

  So fast it probably surprised her, he reached out and grabbed her ponytail, not roughly, but firmly, and eased her head back.

  Now his cock was definitely stretching and waking up, too. He leaned in, his lips close to her ear. “Good girl,” he whispered before shifting her hair off her back and over her right shoulder, so he’d be less likely to catch it with the falls. Then he put a hand on the back of her head and lightly pressed forward, getting her to put her head down.

  “I don’t want to hit you in the face.”

  * * * *

  Holy…fuck!

  Now she wasn’t just wet, she was afraid she might end up with a wet spot on her jeans at this rate. Her heart thundered.

  Good girl.

  Yes, Cole had said those same words to her out in the office, but…

  There was something way different in how Mason said it and the way Cole had said it.

  Like he meant it.

  Like unless she was certain he was harming her, no way in hell would she even think about disobeying Mason.

  It was like he’d drilled right through her brain into some place she didn’t even know existed and flipped a switch that lit up previously unknown parts of her nervous system.

  When he spoke again, it sounded like he was standing a few feet behind her. “Red means stop. Yellow means ease up. Green is good. When I ask you for a color, you say a color, or everything stops. Okay?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good girl.” This time when he said it, it was more conversational, automatic, even. But now that the way he’d said it a moment earlier was imprinted on her soul, no way in hell could she forget it.

  “I’m going to start with this flogger, very lightly at first. If at any time it hurts, or you need me to stop, say red and I’ll stop.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  She flinched a little when she felt him drape the falls over her flesh. It was a very soft suede flogger, one he admitted he didn’t use a whole lot but had wanted in his inventory.

  He swished it back and forth across her skin, up and down her back and shoulders, before she felt him start to swing it. Lightly at first, pretty soon he was picking up force and speed.

  But it still felt good. In fact, it felt great. Almost like a massage. Her pulse slowed as her eyes closed and she savored the sensations, the feel of it, the smell of the suede carried on the breeze from each impact.

  “Color.”

  “Green, sir.” She didn’t even stop to think if that was an etiquette breach. They could sort that out later. She suspected if she wasn’t supposed to call him that he would have said so immediately.

  He stepped up the intensity even more, now each impact feeling kind of thuddy. Her stress and tension had completely melted away as she relaxed into the flogging and his rhythm.

  It actually startled her when he stopped. Then he touched the back of her right shoulder. “Color.”

  “Green, sir. We’re not done, are we?”

  He chuckled and stroked her hair, tucking some stray strands back over her shoulder. “Not yet, pet.”

  * * * *

  Mason froze as he realized what he said.

  It’d been an automatic response.

  The last woman he’d played with, they’d been play partners for a couple of years. The agreed-upon nickname for her had been “pet,” since that’s what her husband and Master called her. Her husband had suggested it, to keep from jarring her out of her headspace with two separate terms when Mason finished playing with her and handed her back off to him for aftercare, which the man enjoyed doing before he started his sensual sadistic play with her.

  “I’m sorry,” Mason said, jarred out of his own headspace now. “I shouldn’t have—”

  “What?” Cole asked, frowning. “I thought she liked what you were doing.”

  Kim lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “Sorry, force of habit. Calling you ‘pet.’ I—”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Cole asked. He looked genuinely confused.

  “I shouldn’t have presumed to—”

  “I don’t mind,” Kim chirped. “I kind of liked it.”

  Mason looked at her and arched the eyebrow again, silencing her.

  Focus back on Cole.

  Cole shrugged, those blue eyes of his boring into Mason’s soul. “I don’t have a problem with it if she doesn’t.” He grinned. “If I get her a collar she’ll sort of be a pet anyway, right? I think it fits. Besides, it’s what’s on her FetLife profile. I figured it was just that.”

  Relief flowed through Mason. “If you’re both sure?”

  “Yeah,” Cole said. “She can make the call. Doesn’t bother me.”

  Mason turned back to her. Those big, brown eyes of hers, so eager, so willing.

  “I’m fine with it, Mason. Are you okay with me calling you ‘sir’?”

  He pointed at Cole, and they both looked at him.

  Cole shrugged again. “Unless you want her to call you ‘ma’am’ or something, I’m fine with it.” He smiled.

  Okay, so they’re both snarky smart-asses.

  And Mason loved it. They both had great senses of humor.

  “Okay. So pet and Sir it is.” He walked back to her and grabbed her hair again, making her tip her head back to stare up at him. “Make sure that’s ‘Sir’ with a capital S when you say it.”

  She grinned, catching her lower lip under her teeth for a moment. “Yesssss, Ssssir.” Another wide smile.

  He couldn’t help laughing. He gently pushed her head forward and once again adjusted her hair. “That’s it. Poke the sadist. Go right ahead, pet. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me I hit like a girl.”

  “Is that a bad thing to do?” she asked, a playful lilt in her tone even though he couldn’t see her expression.

  “Uh, yeah. Note to the pet, never tell me I hit like a girl. Unless you don’t want to be sitting down much the next day.”

  “Duly noted, Sir.”

  “Good girl.”

  * * * *

  Cole didn’t have the words to express his relief that the two of them were getting along so well and apparently didn’t need his help or input from that point forward. Mason tried to involve him
in the different floggers and techniques. Cole appreciated Mason’s consideration, and realized exactly what Mason was trying to do, but the thought of using one of them on her, even though, logically, Cole knew he wouldn’t be harming her, still…well, turned his stomach.

  He was better off watching.

  Especially since the viewing angle he had was awesome. He could see Kim’s ass in her jeans.

  And Mason’s in his.

  In fact, he realized he wasn’t watching what Mason was doing so much as he was watching Mason.

  That is a man whose cock I wouldn’t mind sucking.

  He really liked the guy. He didn’t want to engage in complicated fantasies, especially so early in their relationship with the guy, and mess things up between them.

  Cole was only human, though.

  And the guy filled out the swath of denim perfectly, from his waist to the black leather motorcycle boots on his feet.

  In fact, one time, Mason turned and Cole felt his face heat when the man’s hazel gaze captured and held his own. Cole felt like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, because at that moment his mind had been pondering what it would feel like to slide his cock up the man’s ass.

  Mason’s lips quirked in a smile. “You all right?”

  “Just watching.”

  Cole was almost sad when it was over. Kim’s back wasn’t exactly red, just a little pinkish, and already the marks were starting to fade.

  “Did it hurt?” Cole asked her when she stood, a little wobbly, and he reached out to steady her.

  She wore a calm, gorgeous smile. “No, it felt great!” Even her voice sounded a little…dazed.

  Cole looked at Mason. “Subspace,” Mason said. “I think we achieved it there toward the end. You feel kind of floaty?”

  She nodded.

  He caught her arm and eased her down onto the chair. “You sit there. Let me get you a bottle of water.”

  Cole forced himself not to watch Mason’s ass as the man walked over to the kitchen area. Instead, he looked down at Kim. “Was it fun?”

  She nodded, still sort of dazed-looking. “Can we do that again tonight?”

  His stomach turned. “Mason can. Is it okay if I just watch for now? I don’t want to do something I can’t undo.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Mason returned with the bottle of water, removed the cap, and made sure the fingers of both her hands were firmly closed around the bottle before letting go.

  “Drink that,” he said. “I should have made sure to have one ready for you, sorry.”

  “Can she play with you again after we get back from dinner?” Cole asked him. Kim looked happy, and he wanted to keep her looking that happy and not let her have time to think about asking him to try topping her the next time.

  He was more than happy to sit back and watch the two of them together.

  Especially with the doubly good view.

  Might be the closest I ever get to that guy’s gorgeous ass, anyway.

  * * * *

  Mason wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but he sensed Cole wasn’t lying about this. He looked at ease, almost relieved.

  “If Kim wants to play, feels like playing, sure. I’m fine with that.”

  “Can we try other things, too?” she asked.

  Cole’s blue gaze drew Mason in, held him without even trying.

  Absolutely, there are things I’d love to try…with your boyfriend. “If you want to, sure. If Cole’s okay with it.” Hell, playing with Kim was probably the closest he’d ever get to Cole’s ass.

  Not that she didn’t have a nice ass, because she did. He was gay, not blind.

  “I’m okay with you doing to her whatever she wants you to do,” Cole said.

  “Beware of blanket yeses,” Mason cautioned.

  “It’s not a blanket yes. If she says yes to something I’m not comfortable with, don’t worry, I’ll speak up then. But if she’s okay with something, I want her to see what she likes and me be able to watch someone who knows what the heck he’s doing do it to her. She won’t know what she likes unless you’re showing her. After we figure that out, then I’ll figure out what I’m comfortable trying to learn so you can teach me.”

  Mason returned his focus to Kim. “How about you finish that water, get dressed and freshen up, and then we can go to dinner with the others?”

  Her smile looked beautiful, happy.

  And he’d done that to her.

  “Yes, Sir,” she said.

  His cock twitched. Oh, yeah. “Good girl.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Mason really wanted to ride over to the restaurant with the couple, but didn’t want to be pushy and suggest it himself.

  Fortunately, Cole suggested it, and Kim happily and eagerly seconded it.

  Would have been rude to refuse, right?

  Right.

  First he wanted to freshen up, and while he was in the stall he took the time to adjust everything so that he wouldn’t give himself another painful cock wedgie when it hardened up again.

  Oh, it definitely would harden up again if he played with Kim after dinner. Not just from playing with her, but the knowledge that Cole was watching him play with her.

  Kim automatically headed to the backseat when they walked out to their car after Mason dropped his toybag in the trunk of his. She was also asking him rapid-fire questions about the implements she’d seen in there while he’d been putting the floggers away.

  He was tempted to put a ball-gag in her pretty little mouth just to see her drool around it and be able to talk to Cole, uninterrupted, for a few minutes.

  But he mentally shelved that thought and answered her questions.

  Although he didn’t totally discount the idea of using a ball-gag on her at some point in the evening.

  Dinner was good, fun. They sat toward one end of the table, near Seth and Leah, and Mason spent most of the time answering their questions about stuff and working on hard and soft limits for the evening with Kim and Cole.

  By the time they were to return to the club, Mason wouldn’t deny he had a decent chub in his pants. It’d been so long since he’d gotten to play that even a chance like this was welcomed.

  Kim was ready to do more, eager, and Cole was perfectly happy letting her test her limits.

  Earlier in the evening, Venture wasn’t as busy, so Mason opted to play sooner rather than sadistically drawing out the suspense for her until later. He grabbed a couple of towels and a fleece throw from the free rack of them—and a bottle of water from the kitchen area—and headed over to a bench on the “new” side of the dungeon.

  As he was unpacking his bag, Cole pointed. “What’s that?”

  Mason looked at the zip-top bag he was pointing at. “Oh. Heh.” He picked it up and handed it to Cole. “Needs new batteries, but feel free to borrow it. It’s a remote controlled vibrating egg.” He smiled at Kim. “Meant to be used internally, if you get what I mean.”

  “Ooh,” Cole said. “Really? I can use it on her?”

  “Sure. Just don’t lose track of it, please. You’ll get more use out of it than I have in years. I hope it still works. The battery types are printed inside the unit and the controller. The egg is waterproof. The wire sort of hangs out as an antenna.” His smile widened to a grin. “Maybe next weekend you can make her sit through dinner while you play with the remote under the table.”

  He swore she gulped.

  Cole started laughing. “Oooh, buddy. Thank you. This kind of sadism I can totally get behind.”

  “I’m helpful.” He waggled his eyebrows at Kim. “Very helpful.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she softly said. “You sure are.”

  * * * *

  Kim was glad Cole was okay with her getting naked for their play. She trusted Mason not to grope her on purpose.

  Mason spread a towel out on the bench for her. “Okay, ground rules,” he reminded her. “Green, yellow, red. There will be a few times tonight I deliberately take you to a red,
just to make sure you’re not holding out on me. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings. I need to be assured that if I go too far that you’ll safeword. Got it?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “I won’t be restraining you tonight, either. We’ll have to work you up to that. But do you want a ball gag to bite down on? I can fasten it loosely.”

  She liked that he was apparently looking ahead to future play, because she already was. “Please, Sir.”

  “Good girl.”

  Warmth fired through her, liquid lava in her veins.

  Yes, she loved Cole, but this was something different. Something she’d never felt before.

  Something she’d never realized she’d needed before.

  He buckled the ball gag loosely enough around her head that she could easily spit it out of she wanted to. Then he helped her get into position on the bench.

  Cole sat on one of the empty couches a short distance away.

  He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

  Mason gathered her hair in his hands and pulled her head back. “Ready, pet?”

  “Yes, Sir,” she mumbled around the gag.

  He smiled, wide and making her horny. “Oh, yeah. Gag-speak. I fucking love hearing gag-speak, by the way.”

  He released her hair and walked around the bench. He stroked her back, one hand settling at the base of her spine. She flinched a little at the first bare-handed swat, but before long he was stepping up the pace, building her up, and she was realizing something else.

  She really liked it.

  Not just liked it, but that her clit was now throbbing, and if Mason was paying attention he could probably see a wet spot forming on the towel under her legs.

  He paused. “Color, pet.”

  “Green, Sir,” she mumbled, wishing he’d get.

  Back.

  To.

  It.

  She didn’t know how long she lay there, but a couple of times he did use implements on her that made her sit up and yellow, once even red.

  And every time, he stopped, talking to her, encouraging her.