Page 40 of Winter’s Fire

“True. But that wasn’t a punishment—it was a reminder.”

Oh yes—rule number one, the one that said he got to make up the rest of the rules as they suited him. Just before they’d left his apartment she’d commented about the unfairness, and all he’d done was point out that in this D/s relationship, the sub traded fairness for orgasms. Lots of orgasms.

The last thing Lucy could say was that he wasn't generous with them. Having spent a good deal of the day in his bed, she was amazed she still had the strength to walk. “Consider me reminded.”

“Brat.”

Lucy’s eyes widened in shock when the hand that had been cupping her breast disappeared under her skirt. And though her brain sent messages to her thighs to keep closed, her thighs refused to listen—they were too busy aiding and abetting her lady parts in cosying up to the unrelenting, rhythmic movement of a callused finger spreading moisture over her clit.

An orgasm loomed. Her brain and body were definitely not on the same page when it came to coming in public. Why in the name of all that was holy hadn’t she put that on her list of hard limits?

Because you never even anticipated such a thing, never mind that it might actually occur.

“Stop thinking. Safeword or let it happen. Either is fine.”

The words were quiet, for her ears only, but her dilemma remained. Sex was a special intimacy shared by two people, not a public spectacle like it was here. If she couldn’t deal with it at Aegis, what chance did she stand at Nenufar?

Two things dragged her out of the depressing quagmire in danger of overwhelming her—Logan removed his hand from between her thighs, and his other arm hugged her tightly to him.

“Do you need your safeword? Remember—if you want to talk, all you have to do is say yellow.”

The tenderness and understanding in his voice were like an extra pair of arms, cradling her close, supporting her with gentleness through her crisis of confidence. “Can I say pale yellow? I just need—”

“I know.” Lips touched her temple. “Take a minute. When you’re ready, tell me what’s worrying you, and we can discuss how we deal with this.”

“I don’t suppose appealing to your better nature will get me off the hook?”

“No, but invoking red would.”

Lucy took a closer look at the people around her. No one, not even those in their immediate vicinity, was paying them the slightest bit of attention—they were all wrapped up in their own partners, absorbed in their own activities.

Just a few feet away, there was a woman tied to a St. Andrew’s Cross. Her Dom was standing so close to her, their bodies were touching. Her head lolled from side to side, and from the way her Dom’s arm was wrapped around her, Lucy surmised his hand was between her legs.

Even as she watched the couple, the sub’s moans became louder and more frequent, her arousal spilling out in breathless cries until, with a scream that Lucy felt more than heard, she finally came, spasms of pleasure racking her body while her Dom held her throughout.

And still everyone ignored them—except for Lucy, who suddenly realised she was breathing almost as hard as the sub had to be after that incredible experience.

“Did you see how beautiful that was?” Logan murmured. “She gave him everything, and their bonds will grow even deeper during aftercare.”

Fascinated, Lucy continued to observe the couple. He released her from the cross, wrapped a soft blanket around her, and lifted her into his arms. One of the house subs hovered nearby, nodding as he addressed her. He thanked her—that much, Lucy could lip-read—then he carried his sub to a large, comfortable chair, while the other woman set about cleaning the cross.

“You see? Apart from us, no one bothered, but even if they had, all they would see was beauty. That’s why subs and slaves are special, why they have the power, why we prize them so highly. There’s no lies, no deceit, no festering negative emotion in a D/s relationship. There are rules, respect and discipline, but above all, there’s communication.”

Lucy nodded. “I see it. She seems… not quite with it, though.”

To her surprise, Logan gave a short, quiet chuckle. “That was a body-rocking orgasm. Right now, her system is flooded with endorphins. She has complete trust in him, she’s put herself in his hands, because she knows he’ll never compromise her safety.”

“Do you know them?”

“We’ve been introduced. They have a Master/slave relationship—her role is to serve him, and his role is to serve their relationship. Now what are you thinking?”

Lucy stiffened at the thought of being a man’s slave. Even though she’d come across the terminology, seeing such a relationship right there in front of her made her feel cold and more than a little apprehensive. “It’s such an ugly word.”

“Slave? Context is everything, remember? Like this, it’s an amazing expression of love and complete commitment.”

Lucy looked over at the couple again. He was helping her to hold a bottle of water while she drank, then he fed her a small piece of banana, before wrapping the blanket around her. On his face was an expression of utter adoration for the woman on his lap.

Logan continued. “Their relationship developed over time. Out there, in the vanilla world, she’s in charge of a company that employs over a thousand people. Being his slave doesn’t make her a doormat—far from it. Slaves and submissives are some of the strongest people I know, and any Dom will tell you the same thing.”