STORY EXCERPT

She was making her way back to the bedroom after washing her face and brushing her teeth when she heard the knocking on her door. She didn’t feel quite human yet. She did feel better, but not good enough for company.

Maybe, if she ignored the sound, whoever it was would go away?

She paused in the doorway to her bedroom. Nope. There it was again, louder and longer this time. She grabbed a robe and then staggered to the front door.

“Who is it?”

“Wade.” For a second her heart soared. Wade! But then she realized how she must look. She couldn’t let him see her like this.

“Wade who?”

“Unless you want me announcing my title in front of your neighbors, including the nice lady who let me in downstairs and who is currently standing here beside me, please open the door and let me in, Pearl.”

“Go away, Wade. I’m sick. Maybe dying. I just want to be left alone in my misery.”

“Not going to happen. Either open the door or I’m going downstairs to the superintendent’s office and getting him to let me in. And if I have to do that…” He let the threat trail off but she could use her imagination.

“Please, Pearl. Let us in. If you don’t want him around, then let me in. We’re worried about you, honey.”

Slowly, she unlocked the door and turned the knob. The door swung open and she could see Wade and Mrs. Gunderson standing in the hallway with identical worried expressions.

She tried to smile. “I’m fine, Mrs. G. Just a cold and you don’t want to risk your little ones catching this. Wade can…” she croaked. “He…” She started coughing.

She could see the concern on Mrs. Gunderson’s face. She wanted to help, but she had two children under the age of ten, and Pearl knew that the sitter was strict about what time she left. “Thank you for your concern, but Wade’s here.”

Pearl saw the relief warring with the concern on her face. “Well, it is time for Milly to leave, but I’ll be right next door. You let me know if you need anything, anything at all.”

“I will, Mrs. G. Thank you.” She started coughing again and couldn’t seem to stop.

Wade turned to her concerned neighbor. “Thank you, Mrs. Gunderson. I can take it from here.”

* * * *

Wade closed the door and turned to Pearl. She was leaning on the side table and looked like she was ready to collapse. He swept her into his arms. She was burning up with fever and drenched with sweat.

“Pearl, did you see a doctor? Do you have any medicine?”

“No doctor. I went to the pharmacy.” She pointed to the couch. “See, I bought everything I need.”

He set her down on the chair and picked up the bag. “These things work better if you actually open the packages and take them.”

He looked over at her. She hadn’t answered because she had fallen back to sleep. Her robe gaped open. She was only wearing a pair of panties under it. He could see that she looked flushed. He placed a hand on her forehead. She was burning up.

He looked into her bag. She really had bought everything. He pulled out the digital thermometer. He removed it from the packaging and then read and followed the instructions. One hundred and two point five. Her temperature was high but not dangerously so. She did need to be monitored, though.

He looked down at her. She was sleeping peacefully, although her breathing seemed to be labored. He went into the kitchen and unpacked the medicines she’d bought. Ibuprofen, cough syrup, vapo-rub, cough drops, and several boxes of tissues.

He lined everything up, but first things first. He headed into her bedroom. The bedclothes looked like a hurricane had hit. He bent over to straighten them and realized they were covered with sweat. A little investigation and he found her linen closet. Ten minutes later, her bed looked nice and fresh. Then he found a pair of pajamas in her dresser. In other circumstances, he would have paused to enjoy her lingerie drawer, but that would have to wait. She needed to be dosed with medicine, have a bath, and get something to eat and drink, not necessarily in that order.

He returned to the living room. She hadn’t moved. It wasn’t until he propped her into a sitting position and held the ibuprofen in front of her mouth that she even stirred. As soon as she opened her mouth, he popped the pill in and held the glass of water to her mouth.

“Swallow and then drink. That’s an order,” he commanded using his best Dom voice.

ADULT EXCERPT

The world went dark. Pearl felt that indescribable feeling that happened at the beginning of a scene, the anticipation, the arousal, the fear. She knew he was going to hurt her and she wanted this. Some Doms liked to hurt their subs just to hear them scream and she didn’t judge this. If that’s what both parties enjoyed, then more power to them.

But she liked to be in subspace for anything really intense. Luckily, Master Wade felt the same way and made sure that she got a proper warm up and was flying in subspace before he really let loose. She stood as still as possible and tried to figure out what he was doing by sound alone. It wasn’t easy. The rubberized floor absorbed sound and she didn’t even hear him as he approached until he was whispering into her ear.

“Trying to figure out what I have in store for you, sweetheart?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“But isn’t anticipation half the fun?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He laughed at the tone of her voice, no doubt. He was right, but that never stopped her from trying.

“Well, then let me help you out. But first, some parameters, you may make any sound you want, but no words unless it is one of your safewords. Please repeat them for me.”

They’d played together too many times to count but he always asked, always made sure. “Red to stop, yellow to slow down, and green for go, Sir.”

“Excellent, Pearl. And remember, no words except those. If you do speak without permission, you’ll be punished. If you come without permission, you’ll also be punished. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good, now, we are almost ready to begin. “ Seconds later, she felt the soft foam ear plugs being placed in her ears. She could still hear muffled sound, but no words, only a jumble of sound punctuated by the sharp crack of the whip. Some submissive was getting really lucky tonight. Whips were rarely allowed. Only a few Doms were certified to use them, including Wade, not that he ever had with her.

Pearl tried to put all thought out of her head as she waited for the first strike, the first sensation, the first anything. She slowed her breathing and pushed down her impatience. Her Dom, her Master, controlled the scene. He, and only he, decided what, when and how, although he always worked within the parameters of their contract, their written agreement of limits both hard and soft.

Was that a touch? She felt it again. Yes, it was. It was a feather? Something like that. It touched her right areola, circling it. Her nipple which had already been hard was now aching as he teased and taunted it.

The sensation ended. She waited, anticipating that it would be repeated on her left side but instead she felt pressure and then a sharp pain as a clamp closed on her right nipple. She whimpered as she tried to accept the pain. Master Wade stroked her back and she thought she could almost hear him murmuring soothing words in her ear. But maybe she was imaging that. With the ear plugs it was hard to tell, but she could feel his warm breath on her ear.

Eventually, the sharp pain subsided to a dull throbbing. He kissed her cheek and moved on to repeat both steps on her left nipple. He stood so close she could feel the warmth of his body brushing against her side.

She thought she was prepared, but nothing could ever prepare her for that first stabbing pain when the clamp pressed on her tender flesh. She focused on her breathing, in through her nose and out through her mouth.

Wade stroked her back and soon both nipples were aching but the pain was now manageable. He moved away from her and she wanted to protest the absence of his warmth but she didn’t want to earn a punishment now when they’d just begin.

She’d misbehaved early in a scene once, speaking without permission, when they were just getting to know each other’s play styles. He’d stopped the scene and led her to a corner. Then, he’d ordered her to stand in place with her face to the wall and listen as he’d played with another sub.

She hadn’t repeated that mistake.

Thwack. Thwack. Riding crop. He was using his favorite crop on her ass. Over and over, the crop came down, never on the same spot twice, until it seemed that her whole ass was warm and throbbing pleasantly. The crop stung, but in a good way.

He moved behind her and squeezed her cheeks. She moaned. It felt so good. He backed away, slapping her ass once. The cropping resumed, but now, he was moving around her body. Her upper thighs, her belly, her inner thighs, even her breasts got the same treatment.

Thwack. The sharp strike on her pussy made her jump and give a little scream more from shock than pain. He repeated the blow. Her legs were spread. This time, the crop landed squarely on her clit which had already been throbbing with arousal. He did it again and again, and now, it felt so swollen and hot, and the aching feeling inside her swelled with the need to come.

But she couldn’t. She didn’t have permission. She moaned. It was a plea, wordless begging.