He needed this. She needed this.
Penny relaxed and felt the pain, but also a deep peace. A floaty feeling came over her as he continued to paddle her. He struck her arse, her thighs, smacked right between her legs where her pussy felt the reverberation of the slap.
Every now and then, he slapped right on her pussy, making her gasp and squirm.
She lost track of time. Heat suffused her, making her skin feel more like a tether than flesh, holding her to the place where she floated along, holding her to Damon. Her partner. Her Master.
Her Master was so scared. She had to give him what he needed. She had to give him this. He could be so indulgent with her. He would spend hours pleasing her, making sure she was happy and satisfied. In the time she’d been his sub, he didn’t let her carry her own anything, insisting on bringing her coffee in the morning, on making sure she had the best of everything. It wasn’t hard to give him her submission in this. Their needs dovetailed beautifully.
The smacks finally stopped. She had no idea how many he’d given her as she started to come out of the pleasant place she found herself in. Her arse was on fire, but she welcomed it. It meant she’d endured. She would enjoy the ache in her cheeks even when they walked the streets of Helsinki.
He moved in front of her, his boots coming into view. When she held her head up, she could see the spanking had done something for him, too. While her pussy was aching and needy, his cock was straining against the laces of his leathers. Not for long though, as he quickly undid his pants and his cock sprang free. “This is for me. Open.”
She immediately licked at the head of his cock, tasting salt and Damon.
His hands gripped her hair, tightly but not enough to hurt. He always seemed to know exactly how to handle her. He squeezed and her scalp lit up. “Relax. I’m going to fuck your throat. You take what I give you, love. Show me you can obey when you want to.”
She gave over and suddenly found her mouth full of him. He invaded, pressing his dick in past her lips and teeth and over her willing tongue. He thrust in ruthlessly, and she had to remember to breathe.
He pressed in until she’d taken the whole of him. His grip never wavered, keeping her exactly where he wanted her. She was tied down and held for his pleasure. And it did something for her. She was slick and wet.
When he’d shoved his cock in as far as it would go, he held himself for a moment. “Fuck. You feel so damn good. You almost make me forget.”
He dragged his dick out and then forced himself back in. Over and over he fucked her mouth, his thrusts getting hurried and losing the precision she’d come to expect from him. He seemed to let himself go until finally she felt him swell against her tongue and he came. She heard him groan and curse just before he coated her tongue with his release.
She swallowed furiously, not wanting to lose a drop.
He panted above her, his hand softening on her hair. He finally pulled his cock out and straightened his leathers. “I’m going to release you now. We’re going back to the cabin, but you should understand this, Penelope. If you disobey again, even in the slightest way, I’ll have you right back here. I’ll tie you down and let every Dom in the dungeon have a go at you. Do you understand?”
Her whole body went cold as his words washed over her. He would let every man in the room…
“Penelope?”
He would? It took a moment for it to really settle in. She’d taken everything he gave her because she loved him. Because she loved what he did for her. Because she loved who she was when she was with him.
And he would give her to any man in the dungeon who wanted to take a turn?
“Penelope?” His voice hardened. “I need you to tell me you understand the punishment waiting for you if you disobey me again.”
Her safe word was right there on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to scream it at him, but she wasn’t in physical danger. No. There wasn’t a safe word in the world that could save her heart from breaking.
“Yes, Master.” She forced the words out though they were bitter on her tongue. She blinked back tears because she wasn’t going to let him see her cry. They’d felt like a healing balm only moments before. Now they would show far too much of her soul.
She’d counted on his possessiveness. She’d come to view it as his version of love. She’d been so foolish, thinking he just couldn’t say the words. It had been there in the back of her mind that she could teach him.
She shivered. God, she was naked in front of a crowd and the man she loved had just promised to allow her to be gang-banged in front of them if she didn’t follow his rules.
She shrank away from him the minute she could. When her hands and feet were free, she forced her stiff body to stand up, covering her breasts.
Damon frowned her way. “Are you all right? We should go in the back to one of the aftercare rooms. I was rough on you.”
Numbness was starting to flow through her veins, a welcome thing. She was able to stand tall. No matter what happened between her and Damon, she still had her job. “I’m fine. I would rather retire to our cabin. I would like a shower if that pleases you.”
Her words were like stones, falling from her mouth. Flat. Cold and hard.
“If you like.” Someone had passed him a robe. He held it out, but she couldn’t stand the thought of him wrapping it around her. He would hug her, like he always did, but now she knew it was a meaningless gesture.
She took the robe from his hand and quickly wrapped it around her body, grateful to not be on display a second longer. What had seemed loving a moment before now made her feel vulnerable.
Years of doubt rushed back in, blocking the progress she’d made. She stared at Damon. He really was beautiful, and she wasn’t close to his league.
What had she been thinking?
He closed his kit, zipping it up. Her collar was in his hand. “I’d like to put it back on you.”
She was safer with it on, but the idea repulsed her a bit. Would he take it off before he let another man have her? Or was it so meaningless to him that it wouldn’t matter?
She nodded, turning and holding her hair up, forcing herself to stay still while he clasped it back on.
“Are you sure you’re all right? I should look at your skin. I don’t think I raised welts. I could be wrong.” For the first time, he sounded deeply unsure of himself.
“No. I’m fine. We should get back to our friends.” The mission was important. Her feelings, his feelings or lack thereof, didn’t matter. She’d been an idiot. She’d spent more time thinking about how to continue her relationship with Damon than focusing on the reason she was here. That time was done. She would obey Damon and do her job and then walk away at the end.
He’d wanted to teach her how dangerous it was to be close to him. She’d finally learned the lesson. She couldn’t fix him. She couldn’t heal him.
“All right.” He picked up his kit and stepped off the stage, turning to hold his hand out to help her down.
Stubbornness bought her nothing. She placed her hand in his, but she’d never been further away.
Chapter Fifteen
Damon held the lift door open for Penelope when it arrived at their floor. She stepped out with a calm detachment that deeply worried him.
He’d been too rough on her. He should have stepped away and given himself a few hours to calm down. The sight of that bastard touching her had sent him into a rage.
He’d known immediately that she had disobeyed because of some mission related event, but there had been a deep disconnect between his brain and his mouth. His mouth had let his anger talk. He’d heard himself spouting shit about her finding another Dom, and he couldn’t stop himself.