I led her to the main play room, which was filled with people.
There were many seating areas, but I wasn’t much for conversation when I had my sexy sub with me. Instead, I led her to a large wooden cross. A couple was currently using it, so I sat and pulled Alix into my lap. The last time we’d watched people use the cross Alix had gotten so excited, I didn’t mind waiting our turn.
“A little show before it’s your turn up there,” I told her, rubbing a palm up and down her leg, teasing the skin at the top of her thigh highs. “Watch them. See if you can figure out what I have in mind for you.”
It was part of what I missed about the club. The ability to watch and be watched. Alix loved it almost as much as I did. By the time the couple exited the stage, she was wiggling on my lap, rubbing against my erection. Unluckily for her, I’d taken a few moments in the bathroom at work to jerk off just before I started getting ready to leave so I wasn’t so on edge when we played.
While my control was strong, I also knew my limitations, and Alix was good at pushing them when she let me completely dominate her.
Taking hold of the leash, I led her to the cross with her facing it.
“Hands up.” I restrained her wrists with the leather straps attached to the top before pushing her feet farther apart with my own. Her ankles were secured with the ones on the bottom, keeping her in a perfect X to torment. I stepped back and smiled while drinking her in. Perfection — well, almost. I only needed to bring some color to her pale skin and it really would be. I grabbed a flogger that was nearby for just such a use. It was thin-strapped and would sting more than the thicker ones.
We didn’t have a safeword. I didn’t work that way. No was no and would always be in my world.
I stepped close to her, feeling the heat of her penetrate my shirt. Normally I took it off, but the feel of her skin on mine was always distracting. I wanted nothing deterring my plans, even myself.
When I planted a soft kiss on her neck, she moaned and canted her head slightly to offer more skin to me. I rubbed my erection against her before moving back again. Softly, I trailed the end of the leather over her skin and smirked when she shivered, goosebumps popping out over every inch of her flesh.
After trailing the ends of the flogger over her a few times, I brought it down with a sharp flick of my wrist. Instantly a lovely blush bloomed over her back and she groaned. Spreading my feet, I picked up a comfortable eight pattern as I covered her upper back, arms and buttocks. Her cries of pain turned to moans of pleasure as she found subspace. I stopped when my shoulder started to ache. The flogger had turned her skin a bright red and would likely even leave a few bruises. The sight had my cock hard and pulsing against my zipper while leaving a damp spot where its eagerness seeped out.
I released the straps from her ankles first; she moved them unsteadily under her as I moved to undo the ones around her wrists. Once she was free, I scooped her into my arms. Her head rested against my chest right where I wanted it; I carried her back to my room and settled her on the bed. Removing my shirt, I climbed in next to her and gently caressed her back while rubbing on some ointment that would help reduce the soreness the next day.
Eventually, she came around and looked up to smile at me. I brushed stray hair off her face and kissed her lips softly.
“Welcome back, Precious.”
“Mmm, I love when you make me soar,” she murmured in a sleepy voice. It always took a while to fully come back to yourself so I kept touching her, easing her way.
“I love to make you fly, baby. Hell, I just love when you hand your control over to me. It’s absolutely the most exciting thing you could ever do to me.”
“Well, I don’t have to try to excite you in other ways then.” She smiled as she said it and I laughed softly at her.
“You excite me with everything you do, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying to find something new you want to try out on me.” There was plenty we hadn’t done when it came to BDSM, but when it came to anything vanilla I was pretty sure we had that covered. I welcomed her presenting something she wanted to try, as she had yet to request something or say she specifically wanted a particular act. While I liked to be in control, I wanted her to know nothing was off-limits for me. I would do anything to keep her happy and in my arms.
Lost in my own thoughts, I was jolted when she yanked herself away from me. I looked at her, surprised and a bit shocked at the sudden move. She sat up in the bed and pulled the sheet over her body, which she had never done before in my presence.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking around the room to see what had caused the sudden change.
“You have lipstick on your neck.” Every muscle in her body grew taut as her eyes locked on my neck and her eyes turned ice cold.
“What?”
“Lipstick. On your neck. Who has been kissing your neck? I know it wasn’t me. I didn’t have lipstick on today and I haven’t kissed your neck. I didn’t notice it before when you picked me up so it must have been under your collar.” She moved off the bed, yanking the sheet with her as she moved away from me. Accusation was clear in her stance, but I was truly lost. I didn’t know how it got there and I didn’t think she’d take that for an excuse.
“I have no idea. Really. Baby, come back to bed so we can talk about this,” I pleaded, holding a hand out to her.
“No. I want to leave, right now.” She dropped the sheet and disappeared into the dressing room. By the time I’d pulled on my shirt and folded my jacket over my arm, she still hadn’t returned, so I knocked once on the door before pushing it open. The dressing room was empty. She’d left.
Growling in frustration, I ran down the hall to see her slip out the front door with her purse over her shoulder. I slammed the front door and the door-man glared at me, but I ignored him as I looked for where Alix had gone. Just as I spotted her, she vanished into the backseat of one of the cabs outside the club. I tried to get to the cab before it took off, but wasn’t fast enough.
She was gone.
Chapter 13
Alix
I was running. I knew it, but I couldn’t stop myself. There was no way I could face him as my mind whirled out of control. After such a deep experience, only to find another woman’s lipstick on his neck — my world shattered. There is only one way lipstick gets beneath the collar of a dress shirt. I couldn’t hear his excuses. I couldn’t let him make me believe again.
The last few months I’d put up with numerous other signs that other women would add up to something suspicious, but after his vehemence about not cheating the first time, I had let it all go, against my better judgement.
However, I couldn’t let go of the lipstick. I couldn’t. As soon as I got home, I locked the door and actually hid in my closet. I didn’t want to go near my bed, or couch, or anywhere else in the house John and I had been together. I needed to be alone.
All my life I’d been made to feel like I’d never be enough, but that had changed with John. I had this beautiful period of time where I felt like I could be what he needed, what he wanted — that I was enough. The world crumpled down around me with thoughts of all the times he’d come to me smelling of other women, the stories I heard from his ex, the way she so brazenly showed too much cleavage or thigh in the office. She touched him and he let her, even in front of me. He hadn’t been trying so hard to hide what was going on, but I’d been the naïve one that let him pull the cloth over my eyes in more ways than one.