“Man, she’s a cunt,” I muttered.
“You can say that again. Considering how tight she is with Robert, no one on staff is going to give him the time of day. His only hope is finding a lifestyle Domme willing to play tonight.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I eyed William again. A foreign feeling coiled tight in my lower belly—one I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
Lust.
I’d never once wanted to voluntarily play with a sub. It had always been about the job…about the money. But he’d already piqued my interest five minutes ago. Now after hearing his plight, I really wanted to play with him. In some ways, I felt like I needed to sow some wild oats before I left 1740 and went into the world of education.
Lyle’s eyes widened. “Oh, girl, you get that idea out of your head right now.”
“What?” I innocently asked.
“You’re thinking about playing with him, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re wanting to go out with a bang, huh?” Lyle questioned.
“After tonight, I’m done with 1740. In turn, that means I’m done with Robert. I mean, it’s not like I could ever ask him to fill out a reference for me.” I once again threw William a glance. “Why not have a little fun before I go?”
“Calla comes in an hour.”
I cocked my brows at Lyle. “So?”
He shook his head. “I’m just glad my ass will be outta here before the fur starts to fly.”
“I’ll make sure to lock the dungeon door.”
Venus sighed. “Come on, Lyle. Look at how pitiful he is with no one to play with. It’s really like a mercy fuck.”
He snorted. “Don’t encourage her.”
“Like I could stop her if I tried,” Venus argued.
“Good point,” I replied. I downed the rest of my cranberry juice. Then I hopped down off my stool. “See you guys later.”
“Have fun. I want all the details,” Venus said.
“Oh, I’ll be sure to fill you in.”
Lyle shook his head. “She can probably catch it on the eleven o’clock news after all hell breaks loose.”
I merely laughed at Lyle’s statement. With a bounce in my step, I made my way over to where William was standing. “Hey, subbie.”
He lowered his gaze. “Hello again, Mistress.”
“I’ve given it some thought, and I think I would like to play with you tonight.”
Before he could think better of it, he yanked his head up. “You do?”
“You act so surprised.”
“I’m getting the impression that I’m suddenly persona non grata around here.”
“You’re right. Your former Mistress has put the word out, and she has a lot of pull within the club.”
William’s dark eyes widened. “Then why would you want to play with me?”
“Because I like a challenge. And I like to piss people off.”
The corners of his lips turned up in a half smile. “I see.”
“I’m Mistress Juliette.”
“William.” Motioning to the bar, he asked, “Shall I get you something to drink?”
“My, my, so formal. Did your last cunt of a Mistress expect that from you?”
William once again fought a smile. “No, ma’am. You can blame it on my upbringing.”
“No need to blame anyone. I happen to like it. An educated-sounding man turns me on.” What the hell? Did I actually just say that?
“I’m glad I please you.” William’s dark eyes penetrated into mine. They were so brown they were almost black. On another man, they might have been considered soulless because of their darkness. But on him, they pooled with a variety of emotion—pleasure, kindness, desire, empathy, and affection. They were the kind of eyes you could lose yourself in.
I gave a quick shake of my head. “Now, about that drink.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Both staff and members were only allowed one alcoholic beverage. It was hard to be safe, sane, and consensual if you were blitzed. I handed him my staff card to scan the drink. “I’ll take a vodka and cranberry. And you’re welcome to get what you want as well.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I eased down on the plush cushions of the sofa to await William’s return. I tapped my foot on the floor as anticipation pricked along my skin. Was this what lifestyle Dommes felt like when interacting with a new sub? It was all the anxiousness of a casual date coupled with a hyper sexual awareness.
William returned with my drink and a beer for himself. “Interesting choice,” I mused.
“Why do you say that?”
“I would’ve imagined you with something…classier. Like white wine or a fine liquor.”
A chuckle rumbled from William’s broad chest. “Do forgive me, Mistress, but I think if I ordered that I’d be a pretentious prick.”
“There’s nothing pretentious about you.” Feeling extremely bold and uninhibited, my hand dropped to his lap. At my squeeze, he inhaled a sharp breath. “I’ve always thought the word ‘prick’ rendered itself to small, and you certainly don’t have a prick.”
“What do I have, Mistress?”
“A cock.”
“That’s good to know.”
I took my hand away, noting William’s frustrated sigh. “What do you like when you play?”
“I like being controlled.”
I smiled. “That’s good because I like to tell men what to do.”
“I also like pain.”
“I didn’t ask you that, but thanks for volunteering that information.”
“My apologies, Mistress. I seem to be speaking more freely around you than I should.”
“And I’m allowing you to more than I should.” Tapping my toe on the floor, I said, “Hmm, so I have another masochist. I just worked one over an hour ago.”
“I don’t always have to have pain to get off. It just heightens everything for me. It’s like the difference in jerking off compared to coming inside a tight pussy.”
His analogy had my mouth once again running dry. After taking a long gulp of my drink, I asked, “Is CBT your thing, too?”
William grimaced slightly. “Not exactly.”
“What exactly don’t you like about it?”
“Well, to be frank, I happen to like my dick, so I don’t like it being tortured.”
Although I normally wouldn’t have allowed so much chatter with a sub, I was so intrigued by everything William had to say that I allowed it. “Interesting. I would assume you liked that fine body of yours, yet you don’t mind it being beaten.”
Amusement lit up William’s eyes. “Bruises and cuts can heal, but I’m not sure about a broken dick.”
I laughed heartily at his remark. “You men are all the same. If it came down to having to choose to live without your dick or die, I think ninety-nine percent would choose death.”
“I plead the fifth on that one.” He took a swig of beer. “As for my balls, I would like to have children one day, and I’m not sure how plausible that would be once you’ve had them repeatedly tied up.”
“That’s a very valid point. So for you, it’s just being bossed around with some pain.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Any hard limits?”
“Anal play and humiliation.”
“For some reason that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Why is that, Mistress?”
“When I first saw you, I thought you were a dominant playing at being a sub. We get some of those here. They like to come in and screw around by trying to top from the bottom. It’s a waste of everyone’s time. It’s one thing to be a switch when the scene has been agreed on.” I sighed. “But it was a stupid assumption—one that after all my years and experiences in the scene, I should never have made.”
“You thought that because of the way I look?”
“No, it wasn’t just about the fact you’re built like a brick shithouse. It was also about the way you carried yourself
.”
He grimaced. “The last few weeks have been crazy at work. I just received a transfer, so there’s all this new shit to learn. I guess I hadn’t completely left my work side behind and got into the sub zone.”
I bit back a smile at the way he liked to ramble. I could tell he was the kind of personable guy who never met a stranger and was open and honest with every facet in his life. It was endearing.
“Before we go downstairs, what’s your safe word?”
“Heisman.”
“After the trophy?”
William’s brows popped in surprise. “Are you a football fan?”
“No, but my little brother is. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say ‘little’ brother since he’s seventeen and six three. He’s the quarterback at his high school.”
“That was my position back in the day.”
I pursed my lips at him. “Ah, I should have pegged you for a former football player.”
He winked. “Pegging is a hard limit.”
“A sub who likes to tease. I’m pretty sure that’s a Domme’s job.”
“I look forward to your teasing.”
“And I look forward to putting you in your place.” Oh yes, I was really looking forward to putting him in his place. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had such a cute, intelligent, and funny sub to play with. This was really going to be fun.
After rising off the couch, I crooked my finger at William. “Let’s go.”
When the elevator’s doors opened, I led William down the dungeon’s long hallway. “Where did you and your former Mistress play?”
I was glad to see that the door he pointed to was occupied. I didn’t want any past memories with Calla polluting his subspace during our session. I chose a different room from the one Owen and I had used. It was smaller, more intimate. It only housed a St. Andrew’s Cross, a spanking bench, and a suspension holder for chain and rope rigging.
After closing and locking the door, I turned around to find William in the Attention position. His heels were together with his toes pointing on the line painted on the floor. His arms hung straight at his sides, and he stared straight ahead. Having a sub in the Attention position always made me feel a little like a drill sergeant inspecting a recruit.
Taking my time, I made my way over to him. His breathing became more rapid with every step I took. Standing next to him, I pressed one of my fingernails into the base of his neck and then drew it slowly down his spine, which caused his body to vibrate. “What do you want me to do to you, William?”
“Whatever pleases you, Mistress.”
Tsking at him, I said, “You know that’s not entirely true because we already talked about your hard limits.”
“I still want to please you, Mistress.”
“We’ll see about that.” I jerked my chin up. “Take your pants off.”
William’s hands immediately went to the button on his jeans. After he undid it, he slid the zipper down. I waited with bated breath as he pushed the denim over his hips and down his thighs. I wasn’t disappointed in the fact he wasn’t wearing any underwear.
After he stepped out of his jeans, he started to bend down to pick them up and fold them like a sub was always instructed, but I shook my head. “Leave them. I want to look at you first.”
He stood stock-still affording me the perfect view of his erection. Being a Domme, I’d seen a lot of dicks in my time with only a few being impressive. William’s certainly made an impression. With his looks, it almost wasn’t fair that he’d been blessed with a nice cock as well. Some guys just had everything.
“Very nice,” I murmured, as I walked around him to get an eyeful of his ass. Just like his cock, it was perfection. Two fleshy round globes with indentations at the top that you wanted to press your fingers and your tongue into.
“What’s your favorite type of restraint, William?”
“The St. Andrew’s Cross, Mistress.”
“Why is that?”
“I like that it exposes my back and legs to be whipped.”
“What else?”
“I like having the leather cuffs so tight they bite into my wrists and ankles, leaving marks.”
“I see.” I walked around to face him. “But I bet you feel vulnerable having your ass exposed?”
He frowned. “I suppose so.”
With a wink, I said, “Lucky for you, I’m not a huge fan of the cross or leather cuffs. My choice of restraint is rope.”
“I’ve never been tied up with rope before.”
I smiled. “A rope virgin? Lucky me.”
“I’m sure it’s me who is lucky.”
“We’ll see, pretty boy,” I mused as I went over to the supply cabinet. I took out the bundle of measured rope before walking over to the suspension bar. “Come here.”
When William was standing before me, I instructed, “Put your hands out in front of me. Palms facing each other.” After William did as he was told, I began to slide the rope teasingly up his arm. “How does that feel?”
“Fine, Mistress.”
“Just fine? Describe to me how it feels?”
“It’s pretty smooth. Not as scratchy as I thought it would be.”
“Good. That’s how it’ll feel rubbing against your skin when you’re tied up.” When I began to wrap the rope around his wrists, I commanded, “Keep your eyes on me.”
William’s gaze immediately snapped from watching what I was doing to my eyes. Once I had his full attention, I explained, “This is called a Wrap and Double Cinch Column, my little rope virgin.”
“I would beg to differ on the ‘little’ part.”
“Aren’t we cocky?”
“Just confident.”
“With a cock like yours, you should be.”
He grinned. “Thank you, Mistress.”
“Of course, I should punish you for speaking so openly with me.”
He lowered his eyes. “My apologies, Mistress.”
“I’m being far too forgiving with you. But I also like your honesty and openness. It’s rather refreshing after being old only yes and no.”
A small exhale of relief came from William. “I’m glad to hear I’m pleasing to you, Mistress. It’s nice you’re trying to get to know me.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing since he continued to be a wide-open talker. I couldn’t help wondering how his last mistresses handled his mouth. I would have preferred shoving my pussy in his face to keep him quiet, but that wasn’t my style.
After wrapping the rope four times around his wrists, I stopped. “You could make this into a Triple Column by wrapping it six times, but I think for you we’ll stop at two rings around your wrists.”
“Did you do training to be able to do this?”
Tsking at him, I said, “There you go running your mouth again.”
“I’m sorry, Mistress.”
“Are you naturally curious, or are you worried about your safety?”
“No. Just why you chose to do this. It seems like a lot of effort to just tie someone up.”
“This is nothing. You should see an elbow harness. It’s two sets of knotting down the back, bringing the elbows almost together. It comes underneath the chest and down the neck as well. We won’t even talk about doing hog tying or Kadara or rope dress.”
“Sounds like it takes a lot of time.”
“But that’s part of the fun for the sub.” I stared him in the eye. “The anticipation of what’s to come.”
“I see,” he answered knowingly. “So why the interest in rope?”
“I tied my first knot before I could tie my shoelaces.” At William’s shocked look, I laughed. “No, I wasn’t some child dominatrix. I grew up on a horse and cattle farm.”
“That’s interesting. I wouldn’t have pictured you as a rural type of woman.”
“I enjoy the city, but my heart is at the farm.”
“Do you wear cowboy boots?”
Giving him a strange look, I replied, “Yes. On my off time. It’s
not like you see a lot of Domme’s in shitkickers.” Cocking my brows, I asked, “Why?”
A lustful gleam burned his eyes. “I love cowboy boots on a woman.”
I jerked the rope against his skin. “Aren’t you a naughty boy?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
I cinched the end of the tie. “There. All done.”
William inspected my work. “With the leftover rope, it looks like a big bow.”
I grinned. “I suppose it does.” I stuck two of my fingers between the tied rope to make sure there was enough room enough to avoid cutting off circulation. When I removed my fingers, I asked, “How does it feel?”
“Good, Mistress.”
“No tingling or numbness?”
“It’s fine, Mistress. You did a good job.”
“Thank you.” I knotted an end around the leftover rope, and then raised up to put it on one of the hooks of the overhead suspension bar. “Ready?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Twisting the crank, the suspension bar rose, forcing William’s arms over his head. The position didn’t look or feel comfortable, but that was the point. “How does that feel?”
“It’s good, Mistress.”
Now that William was in place, it was time to get down to business. When it came to choosing an instrument for whipping, I seemed to be drawn to ones I was used to in real life. Like with rope, I enjoyed the familiarity of riding crops. While the leather end could deliver good stings and smacks against the flesh, you could also use the shaft like a cane for even more intense blows. I also took it one step further by using a riding bat, rather than a crop. A bat looked exactly the same as a crop except it was slightly shorter in length while the leather at the end was thicker.
While the club had several crops hanging up on the rack to choose from, I knew I wanted to use my personal bat on William. Since you were never supposed to leave someone suspended without supervision, I pressed the button for a dungeon master to come to the room.
“I’ll be right back.” When I got to the door, I called, “You just hang out while I’m gone.”
“Yes, Mistress,” William replied, his tone slightly amused.
When the dungeon master opened the door, I stepped onto into the hallway. I walked down the lighted floor to the staff locker room. Since members didn’t get past the elevators without a staff member, there was no reason to lock the door. Members had their own locker room upstairs where they could keep the items they needed to play without having to take them home.