STORY EXCERPT

Ethan took her hand and helped her from the car before putting his arm around her shoulder. He then guided her to the impressive entrance that shared an uncanny resemblance to that of Club Submission itself.

“I see you enjoy the finer things in life, Ethan.”

“You bet. I worked my ass off to get where I am today.” His mesmerizing green eyes appeared to her as liquid pools of pure energy. They held her enthralled and captivated in a way she’d never experienced before. Not even with Antonio. “I enjoy beautiful things, Beth.” Like an aphrodisiac, his words seemed to physically embrace her and pull her toward him, arousing her, making her pussy wet with sexual need.

The frisson of nervous tension in the pit of her stomach intensified when he punched a four-digit code into a keypad, and the impressive twin oak doors swung obediently open. Clearly sensing her apprehension, he took her hand in his, calming her, making her feel safe. In the last few weeks she’d come to trust Ethan implicitly. That was why she was standing outside his awesome home at four in the morning.

“We know each other, Beth. You trust me, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

Once inside, she was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer space available. A large entrance hall flowed seamlessly to a treble-width staircase, which rose majestically to a large galleried landing. It was obviously a building designed by and for a man. As a woman she so wanted to feminize the place with brightly colored curtains and soft furnishings. She preferred carpets and rugs, but every square foot of flooring was covered in a dark, uncaring hardwood. Beth found the never-ending expanse of white paint overpowering and far too masculine for her tastes. The only respite to the stark, bare walls was a collection of life-size photographs brutally depicting Ethan’s time as a successful bare-knuckle boxer. Yeah, this was a man’s domain all right. No woman in her right mind would allow such graphically aggressive images to grace her walls.

Ethan took her hand and led her up the stairs. The stainless steel and glass banister was again something only a man could find attractive. What was wrong with stair carpet and a wooden banister, for Christ’s sake?

Like a scene from Alice in Wonderland, they walked hand in hand along the seemingly never-ending landing, until Ethan suddenly stopped outside a large heavy oak door. He moved behind her and circled her waist with his arms, then rested his chin on her shoulder. “Remember what I told you about the Inquisitor, Beth.”

“Yes?”

“This is where he satisfies his darkest desires.”

“You mean—”

“Uh-huh, this is the Inquisitor’s Chamber. Step out of line, young lady, and the Inquisitor will provide the appropriate form of correction.”

Beth nodded nervously. “I see.” Her voice quavered slightly as she wondered what lay behind the locked door. Appealing to his natural dominance, she lowered her head, and said, “Sir, do I get to see inside?”

“Have you misbehaved, my sub?”

“No, Sir, not today, Sir.” She thoroughly enjoyed her part in the role-play.

“Then this room is strictly off-limits to you.”

She wondered if he felt the tiny tremors coursing through her veins as he wrapped his arms around her even tighter. She guessed he did, because he seemed to know what made her tick.

He tenderly kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry, little one. I’m sure you’ll always be perfectly behaved in my presence. If you’re a good girl and don’t misbehave, I can’t see a reason I’d ever need to bring you here. I trust I’ve made myself clear.”

“Yes, Sir, you have.”

His voice was low and menacing when he spoke. “You know what pisses me off more than anything, Beth? What really makes me fucking angry? What makes the Inquisitor appear?”

She shook her head. Fucking hell, her panties were soaking wet again. How the hell did he make her feel this way without even touching her?

“Lies, Beth, lies, that’s what really makes me angry, but I’m sure you’ll never lie to me.” His eyes narrowed on her profile, and she knew he was looking for tells in her body language.

Beth tried not to blush with guilt, but she didn’t think she succeeded very well. She’d lied from the first moment they’d met, and she’d hated every minute of the deceit. It went against everything her previous Master had taught her. She consoled herself that although she hated lying to him, it was a necessity, not an indulgence. Whatever discipline Ethan had in store for her, she knew she could never tell him the truth about her past. It could cost her her life.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Please, Sir, that hurts.”

“Don’t presume to rely on my benevolence, sub. Your pussy belongs to me. I decide, what, when, and if. Do I make myself clear?” His eyes burned with unlimited passion and a smattering of cruelty, making her sex wetter still. She didn’t dare to challenge his absolute dominance over her.

“Yes, Sir,” she replied breathlessly, writhing helplessly on the bed. It was all part of the game they played. Ethan was an experienced Master and knew she couldn’t remain still for one moment when he touched her like that. She figured he was ready to ratchet up the intensity of the scene.

Stony-faced, he stood abruptly from the mattress and walked to the end of the bed. “Your legs are never still. I clearly need to restrain them to stop you fidgeting.” Taking hold of an ankle in each hand, he roughly spread her legs wide before attaching her leather ankle cuffs to the metal bedposts. Fucking hell, Ethan was like an animal as he forced her legs apart, but she liked him all the more because of that. His uncompromising actions meant her pussy was exposed to his intense scrutiny. With her hands and feet secured, Beth tried desperately to move, but found it almost impossible. Whatever lay in store for her, she wouldn’t even be able to thrash about. The idea worried and excited her in equal measure.

Ethan tested her bindings. “That’s better. If my sub refuses to behave and lie still, then I’m left with no alternative.” He began shedding his Wranglers, sliding them down his muscular thighs before kicking them from his feet with a flourish. Completely naked now, his enormous cock jutted angrily out, its purple crown weeping his arousal. Beth whimpered with need. She’d never seen him so pumped up.

Spread wide and completely at his mercy, she swallowed nervously as he stood at the end of the bed directly between her parted legs. His gaze feasted on her exposed pussy. “Hmm, I can see my sub has been having naughty thoughts without my permission. I don’t believe I authorized such an indulgence.” He knelt between her legs, and immediately dipped two fingers deep into her honeyed arousal. Staring directly into her eyes, he pulled his fingers from her wetness and showed them to her. Heavily coated with her feminine juices, they glistened in the subdued lighting. Ethan smiled. “I really shouldn’t encourage such wanton thoughts, but…”

Beth watched him lower his head, and a cry of pure ecstasy left her lips when she felt the tip of his tongue circle then flick across her sensitized clit. “Sir, oh, my, God…Sir.” Her head thrashed from side to side, and she yanked helplessly on the restraints, desperate to relieve the beautiful, exquisite feeling with the aid of movement. There was no escape from the almost overwhelming pleasure of his tongue. She just had to lie there and take it—enjoy it. Just what the hell is this beautiful man doing to me? It’s so good I can’t stand it. Ethan’s probing tongue swirled and penetrated in a way she’d never known before, lashing her clit and vaginal walls until her stomach quivered uncontrollably, and submissive mews began drifting from her lips.

His teasing tongue brought her to the very edge of orgasm. He must have known by the soft pants coming from her lips how close she was. When he stopped abruptly, she silently cursed his timing. Goddamn you, Ethan Strong.

Ethan raised his head, a confident smile to his lips. “Whose pussy?”

On the point of delirium, she replied in a tiny voice, “Yours, Sir.”

Gentle butterfly kisses accompanied by his soft, sweet breath drifted up her belly, heightening her sense of arousal. His tongue swirled over her nipples still held tightly in the chromed clamps, causing intense, erotic pain to sear into her brain, making the age-old fight-or-flight response kick in. Beth could do neither, because it was almost impossible to move. All she could do was throw her head back as she tried unsuccessfully to get away from the wonderful excruciating intensity.

She cried out in a garbled rush that verged on panic, “Please, Sir, I don’t think I can hold out much longer.” Her voice shook with emotion. She didn’t want to use her safeword. It went against everything she believed in, but it was there as the last resort, and at this precise moment in time, she felt sorely tempted to use it.

Ethan must have heard the heartfelt plea in her voice, because he smoothed a hand around her throat and stared down into her face. “Look at me.”

When she did as he commanded, she felt their connection, their union, deepen. His gorgeous green eyes burning with excitement and intense pleasure soaked up the obvious distress in hers. She’d given him exactly what he craved the most—her helplessness, her vulnerability, her absolute surrender.

“Good girl, you’ve pleased me immensely. I’m going to remove the nipple clamps now, so be ready for some more pain.” He cocked his head to one side, clearly relishing her discomfort.

Knowing just how much it would hurt, Beth scrunched her eyes tightly shut, and whimpered. “Yes, Sir, but please hurry.”