STORY EXCERPT

Nathan helped Jack schlep his luggage from the parking lot to the international terminal. With travel like it was, they’d have to say good-bye before Jack went through security, but at least he could help his friend get that far with all his bags. Jack had suggested Nate just drop him off at the curb, but his friend had three large suitcases and a carry-on duffel, so Nate had driven into the parking structure and was now pulling two large suitcases while Jack carried his duffel and pulled another suitcase.

“You need me, man. What did you do, pack everything you own?”

“Told you so. Nate…”

Jack looked like shit. “You look like shit, Jack.” He told the truth because that was what best friends did. “I expected you to be over the moon, but you barely ate anything at dinner and you kept getting distracted. Are you sure you really want this and it’s not just something you’ve been obsessed with for so long that you—”

“Fuck, I don’t know. Maybe? But how do I not do this? I worked for it so fucking long. I have to see it through. It’s just, well…” His voice trailed off as they stopped and looked at the sign to find out where he had to go to check in. “Look, I have to do this. It’s not indentured servitude. If I don’t like it…whatever happens, one way or another, I’ll be back at the end of August, either moving back home or arranging to sell my place. And there’s always phone calls, Skype, social media…and you can come visit me, and I’ll be back…”

Nate didn’t know how to answer, so he didn’t. Jack was torn up enough without Nate telling him he thought Jack was making a mistake. Four months ago, his friend had been over the moon with happiness about the job. Then he’d been crushed when it had been taken from him. Now, he just looked like he was going to his doom instead of toward something he’d worked hard for. So, he resolved to be supportive and to be there for Jack if this didn’t work out. That was what friends did.

They walked in silence to the check-in line. Nate stayed with Jack until his friend had his boarding pass and was down to just his carry-on duffel bag. Together they walked over to security.

“I guess this is it.” Nate swept his best friend into a big bear hug. “Dammit, just go and get on that plane! Show those Brits just what a Yankee can do!”

Nate watched until Jack disappeared behind the security barriers. Then he turned and started to take a step. He was stopped by the woman who barreled right into him. She was small, probably a foot shorter than he was and a hundred pounds lighter. She bounced off him and landed flat on her back on the hard tile floor. He heard a sharp sound as her head hit the tiled floor.

“Ohhh!”

“I am so sorry!” He knelt down and took her hand. She started to struggle into a sitting position, but he urged her back down. “Are you okay? You hit your head. You might have a concussion. I should get you medical help.”

“No, I hit you, you big oaf. I don’t have a concussion. It doesn’t even hurt, although I am furious. I was trying to say good-bye to someone very important to me, and because of you, I’ve lost my chance.”

“Now I feel even worse.” He looked around. “If you are sure you aren’t injured, maybe I can help you up. There seem to be a lot of annoyed people giving us the stink eye.”

She grudgingly let him help her stand. It wasn’t until she started tugging that he realized that he was still holding her hands. He’d forgotten as he stared into her luminous blue eyes. She was slightly built with big eyes and long dark hair. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, and his heart was doing flip-flops in his chest. He let go of her hands, but when she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm.

She turned back to him, and he could see the tears she was struggling not to shed. He felt like an even bigger ass. He also felt something else, something he’d never felt before. He couldn’t let her just turn and walk away without at least getting her name.

“What?” She glared at him. “Have I grown two heads or something? I told you I’m fine.”

“I’m really sorry for knocking you down and making you miss your friend.”

“You didn’t do it on purpose…you didn’t, did you?”

“No, I was seeing off a friend, too.”

She shrugged. “Yes, well, what’s done is done.”

She started to walk away again. He hurried so that he was walking in step with her.

“Can I buy you a coffee? It’s the least I can do.”

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes with a steady gaze. “Yes, yes it is.”

He held out his hand. “I’m Nathan.”

She hesitated only for a moment before placing her hand in his. “I’m Jasmine, but most people call me Jacey.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Jacey’s world was plunged into darkness. One part of her hated the blindfold, but another revelled in it. It made her pay attention to everything, every little sound or movement, at least at first. But then her awareness would slip away and she’d just be. Waiting for what her Master chose to give her. She’d stop paying attention to anything but her own body and what he was doing to it. She’d just give into until she slipped under, into subspace.

She wasn’t there yet. She was still aware of her surroundings. She felt rather than saw Jack move in front of her. There was a movement in the air, and then she could feel the heat of his body against her back. She wanted to lean back into it, but he’d restrained her securely to the poles. She liked the poles. They’d used them together before. He had access to both her front and her back. He could flog her breasts or cane her butt and she couldn’t do anything short of safe-wording to stop him.

The only thing he couldn’t do in this position was fuck her. But he could give her orgasms. He’d already used his mouth to give her one. He could also use his instruments of pain to give her one. He’d learned from Jack Hughes the fine art of cropping a submissive to an orgasm. It was painful and splendid at the same time. All of a sudden, she wanted one of those oh-so-sweet orgasms badly. She could feel the cream sliding down her thighs as her arousal level rose.

He moved closer so that she could feel his chest against her back, his leather pants against her ass, and her arousal climbed. She moaned, desperately holding back the words she wanted to say. She wanted to beg him to take her, use her, fuck her, but she knew that she’d be punished if she did. She settled for a moan of desire.

“My sweet, sweet sub. Patience, patience. Today I am going to gag you so you don’t have to fight so hard not to speak. I’ll be attaching the safe-wording device to your left hand. You’ll be able to signal me one short burst for green, two for yellow, and one continuous for red. Do you understand? You may speak the words.”

“Yes, Sir. One for green, two for yellow, and one continuous signal for red.”

“Good girl. Now, open up.”

Jacey obeyed, and Jack worked quickly to insert the ball gag and fasten it behind her head. She could feel his body heat as he stood in front of her not moving, not quite touching her. She felt the tenseness come back and her arousal flee. Something wasn’t right. She tried to force herself to relax. After the scene, after he had her wrapped in his arms and had soothed her until she had recovered from their scene, then she’d ask him what was wrong. For now, she’d try her best to give him what he needed. She’d give him submission.

“Jacey, test the safe-word device. What color are you?”

She clicked it once. But it was a lie. She wasn’t green. She was red. Red!

She took a deep cleansing breath. It didn’t work. She took another one, but that didn’t help either. As she’d always suspected, deep, cleansing yoga breaths worked best when you were already relaxed.

She forced herself to focus. She could do this. She could give him the comfort of her submission, and afterward, they would talk and he would tell her what was wrong. Whatever it was, they could get through it together. She would be there for him and be a shoulder for him to lean on.

But for now, she needed to be in the scene. He cupped her breasts, and she moaned. They were on the small side, and she’d grown up a bit self-conscious about their size. She’d tried to be patient as all her friends’, all her schoolmates’, breasts developed, but hers had stayed small. It helped with sports and running, but she’d always envied her more-endowed friends. But Jack said they were perfect. When she was with him, they felt perfect.

He gently massaged her breasts for a few moments before his touch became rougher. He pinched her nipples and twisted, and that sharp stab of pain seemed to go straight to her clit. At this point, she would normally feel the moisture seeping out of her entrance and coating her inner thighs, but she couldn’t make her body relax and get aroused again.

She tensed as he released her left breast and his fingers trailed lightly over her rib cage before heading lower. She willed herself to relax and enjoy his touch, but she couldn’t do it.

His hand stopped, and he stepped away. She wanted to call him back but couldn’t speak through the gag. Was he upset that she wasn’t reacting to his touch the way she should be?

She heard a murmur of voices. Who was with him and why? Then she heard Jack and the other person walk away from her, and relief and fear warred inside her. Was he going to get an implement, or was he ending the scene?

Please, she thought, please let him start flogging or cropping me. That will get my arousal up. It has to so I don’t disappoint him.

She felt the first strike on her left shoulder. It was a flogger, a light one that felt no harder than the touch of a skilled masseuse helping a client to relax. He hadn’t walked away. The second strike fell on her right breast.

Wait? How had he moved so quickly?

Now it was her right buttock and left thigh.

It took her a few seconds to process that not one but two Doms were working her over with the floggers, and not only that, each was using two floggers.

Taking a deep breath, she found herself starting to relax into the sensations. Oh God, she would have moaned out loud if she hadn’t been gagged. It felt exquisite. She’d never been flogged by two Doms at the same time. Slowly her tense muscles relaxed and she could feel the arousal creeping in as the sensations started to overwhelm her. Her brain started to turn off, and she felt herself sinking into the feeling.

There was a pause as the person behind her changed floggers. These were thicker, and she felt them more intensely. Since Jack, and she was sure it was Jack behind her, and the stranger had thoroughly warmed her up, she felt little pain. She did feel her arousal starting to build, and she felt the endorphins start to flow.

There was another pause, and Jack switched to an even more intense set of floggers. Whoever was in front of her kept going through each change using the same floggers he, or she, had started with. The sensations were perfect, and Jacey was falling further into subspace, that very special state of being where there was no pain, just pure sensation.

Her breasts swelled, her nipples rock hard. Her clit was throbbing now, aching for release, and her thighs were covered in the evidence of her arousal. As if he could sense how close she was, Jack slowed down, and the other person flogging her stopped completely.

She made a sound of frustration and felt the tears rise and spill over. No, he couldn’t stop now. She was so close.