The Dom With the Perfect Brats (24 page)

“My
dad is a great guy. I wouldn’t ditch him. My mother’s always been like this. It’s just her way. I’m used to it. You probably find it shocking because it’s new.”

“She was like that even when you were a kid?”

“Yeah, but now I’m too big for her to beat.”

“Fuck, Cross. That’s awfu
l,” Gemma said sympathetically.

Izzy stroked the back of his arm.
“I wish we could help you. It’s sad and awful and...” She sucked in a breath and her rapid blinking said she was moved by this way more than he’d figured. If only they hadn’t heard.

“
You can’t. Everyone has shit to deal with. Family’s family.” He shrugged. “I don’t talk about it much.”

“I know what you mean,” Izzy muttered. “My family isn’t perfect either. I always thought I caused their divorce
, and that the arguments about me being bi had made them do it. Took me years to figure out they were going to split anyway.”

Cross glanced back, and saw
the wry, sad twist in her smile. “You okay?”

“Me?” Her voice rose. “Of course
I am. I just wanted you to know I understand. My dad lives here in the US and I haven’t even gone to see him. But I’m good.”

“You should
see him though, Izzy,” Gemma interjected. “I remember you said he let you visit a few years back. You tell me where he lives. Call him and see what he says. I can help you work out how to travel there. Cross and I can.”

“
You should try and see how it goes.” He nodded, appreciating that the subject had strayed from his mother.

Mother.
He still wasn’t sure how she’d found out about his pro-Domming, but she had been mocking him about it for over a year. Today it was a tool to try to shame him with in front of the girls, not that he was ashamed of it. Even so, he felt a stab of guilt. It was wrong that he hadn’t told them yet, but they were new to kink, and he was afraid they’d misunderstand. At first he didn’t think they’d be around long enough to need the information, and now he didn’t know how to bring it up.

The road zipped by, gravel crunching under his tires. Maybe he’d take out his bike later so he could go for a ride and think. His stomach twisted into a hard knot. He had to be honest with them about everything, sooner or later. They deserved better.

Cross

The submissive bow of their heads didn’t fool him for a minute. The clothing they’d showed up in, on the other hand, spoke volumes. Almost four months together and he still hadn’t broken them out of their bratty ways. He wondered if he could Google how long it normally took to train vanilla brats. Maybe he was the first Dom crazy enough to try it. Something in his technique wasn’t working, but he sure as hell wasn’t giving up.

Izzy shifted on her knees, the hardwood floor not the most comfortable place to have spent the last few minutes in quiet contemplation. Idly, he wondered if the boards were smooth or gritty under their uncallused skin.

“Why do you think you’re on your knees?”

“To please you?” Izzy blurted.

“Because our Dom is grumpy,” Gemma grumbled quietly.

“Pardon me,
girl?”

“Nothing, Sir.”

“That’s what I thought.” He walked around them, tapping the crop on his palm. “Good try, Isadora, but that’s too vague to be helpful.”

Gemma sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well if our benevolent and
all-powerful Sir would deign to tell us peasants where we fucked up, we could be having fun right now.”

Cross flashed out a hand, grabbed Gemma’s hair and
tipped her forward until her forehead met the hardwood. Ass up, just how he liked her best. At least when she was being bratty. “Back talking when you’re already in trouble is...inadvisable. And you may not swear in my presence, even in private.”

A low moan escaped her and he could see her body tensing for something – almost begging for it. “But Cross, I don’t even notice when I swear! I’ll try, but I might forget.”

“If you forget, I’ll remind you, pretty girl.”

She shivered. After hefting the crop to get a better grip
, he swatted her ass with it twice and released her. Not a noise had escaped her. He really had to remember to hit this one harder. She stayed in position and he grinned then told her to kneel up again.

“Now. I gave you
both one instruction when you went home last night. What was it?”

“Not to drive like a maniac?” Gemma asked.

“That we weren’t allowed to...uh...” Izzy faltered.

“The word is masturbate, Isadora.” He didn’t bother to hide his amusement when she reddened. “But I’m talking about what I asked you to do to get ready for tonight.”

“Shave our legs?”

“No, I didn’t mention that, but if you did it’s much appreciated.”

The girls laughed together and Cross smiled in spite of himself. Why did he find their sass so amusing? He remembered having Josie kneeling at his feet, looking up at him adoringly and never thinking to challenge him or engage in verbal fencing matches. Or make him laugh. But this was no way to train submissives. He was slipping. He wasn’t supposed to allow them to misbehave because it was amusing. After all of the smack talk he’d dished out to Jude, he was getting just as lax.

“Oh yeah. You told us to dress like cheap whores to impress your Dom friend.” Izzy snickered.

Cross sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Push your jeans down and put your forehead to the floor, Izzy.”

She untied her jeans and shoved them down to her thighs, along with her underwear, then glared at him all the way down to
the floor. “But I was kidding! Jeez, you’re so uptight today.”

“I told you both to wear skirts, and neither of you bothered to listen. Is there a reason for that?” He stroked the crop along the bare flesh of Izzy’s ass.
Her bare flesh jumped and twitched under the crop and she whimpered. Izzy had trouble with anticipating punishment – she always wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

“Oh. I honestly forgot
.” Gemma shrugged, as though it was no big deal.

Izzy bit her lip but said nothing.

“Isadora?”

“Can I sit up before I tell you?” she asked in a tiny voice.

“Definitely not.”

She sighed and shut her eyes. “I wanted to see what would happen.”

Seriously? They couldn’t ever just listen – it always had to be them testing and testing. Sometimes the challenge was exhilarating, but sometimes it was hard to stay two steps ahead. He tapped his mouth with the crop.

“What do
you
think I should do about this, little one? What do you deserve?”

She covered her face with her hands and squirmed, her hips and ass swiveling in a way that reminded him of the belly dancers he’d watched once – although
they’d
been clothed.

“D
o you need corner time, or the paddle, or the strap? Or do you deserve to have your mouth used instead?”

Her body stilled and she whimpered quietly.

Cross got down next to her and put his mouth close to her ear. He growled low, “Do you like the idea of being punished, Isadora? Are you a naughty girl?”

She
turned her head to the side and glanced at him sulkily from behind her hands. Her eyes were huge and she licked her lip, like there was something tasty there. “No, Sir. I’m good.”

“Then why were you sassing me?”

Gemma sighed. “She was just trying to keep me from getting in trouble.”

“Your loyalty is noble, Gemma, but I think there’s something going on with
Miss Isadora that she still doesn’t want me to know. Am I right, Izzy?”

“Like what?” she mumbled.

“I think you don’t like pain as much as Gemma does, but I’ve been suspecting for awhile that you like to be punished. Are you asking to be punished, little one?”

When she didn’t answer he picked her up and strolled
the two feet to the couch, ignoring her squeak of dismay as he sat and draped her over his lap. She dangled over his knees, helpless, her legs bound by her jeans. “From this angle Gemma can see everything, Izzy. She has the perfect view of your pretty ass. She’s close enough that she can probably see how wet you are.”

She moaned. “I’m not!” The girl tried to slide off his lap, but he held her there without much effort.

“I could prove it now if you like.”

“No!”

He chuckled. “I bet that if I checked right now you’re ready for me, aren’t you? Just from the threat of punishment.”

The galloping of her heart
thumped agaist his hand where it rested on her back. She drew a shaky breath and pulled her hair away from where it had fallen over her face. Izzy looked back at him, her big doe eyes and spellbound expression spurring him on.

He smoothed a hand over her ass. “How many big red handprints do you need here to remind you to be good when we’re at my friends’ house?”

“One?” she ventured.

Cross
tsked
at her and shook his head. “What’s one going to teach you? One isn’t a punishment. I have the feeling you need to be punished until it’s not fun anymore. Until I decide to stop. Am I right?”

“Fuck,” she whispered. “Get out of my head.”

“Never.” He buried a hand in her hair to keep her still and slapped her ass sharply. Izzy mewled but didn’t try to get away. He set a slow rhythm and kept going. “Should you be sassing me? I can do this a long time without getting tired.” Although he didn’t use a heavy hand, her skin turned from pink to scarlet after a while. “Maybe I’ll take pictures of my work and send them to Jude and Malachi. Would you like that? It would be a shame if no one else saw this color except the three of us.”

“No, no!” S
he panted. “Let me down!”

He stroked his hand over her skin, feeling the heat coming up off of her like a fire in winter.
“‘Let me down’ isn’t your safeword, Isadora. Do you want to say red?”

The girl sniffled and shifted but said nothing. Unable to stop himself, he dipped a finger between her legs. Soaked.

“You’ve been a bad girl,” he murmured. “You need this. Someone who will show you who’s boss, and not let you get away with it.” When she was silent, he tightened the grip on her hair.

“Yes, Sir!”

“Come here, Gemma.” She unfolded stiffly from the floor, shook out her legs then walked over. Her eyes narrowed, and he could almost hear the gears turning in her head. “This next part is going to be hard on her. Sit by her head and grab her hair for me. I’m going to hold her still.”

Gemma took two timid handfuls of hair. He corrected her grip, then caught both of Izzy’s wrists and held them together at her lower back. Izzy started to hyperventilate, but they petted her and spoke softly until she settled.

“Ten more, Izzy, then you’ll be a good girl again. Can you do ten more?”

“Five,” she gasped as the rough skin of Cross’s hand scraped across her heated flesh.

“No, I like ten. Your safeword is red if you can’t handle it, but I know you can. Count them.” He spanked her hard. She lost count after three, despite Gemma’s coaching. She sobbed into Gemma’s shirt and he was amazed to see actual tears. By seven she was gasping – at nine she had gone limp on his lap, letting the next blow come. He stopped.

Gemma looked at him uncertainly, like his hand was a viper that might strike when it was least expected.

“I’m done, Isadora. You can get up.”

“Ten. You said ten,” she whispered.

“Are you demanding one more?”

“Please, one more. Please?”

“Don’t say I never give you anything.” He gritted his teeth and swatted her ass damn hard. The girl keened and as soon as he let go of her wrists, her hands clutched her backside. She slid down onto the floor, kneeling at his feet. She fit the side of his calf between her shoulder and head, as though hugging him with no hands. Minutely, she began to rock.

“Isadora?”

She didn’t answer. Her eyes were glassy and her expression blissful.

He looked at Gemma, who was crouched on his other side watching Izzy with a concerned expression. “Could you bring me the vibe from the drawer, please?”

She was gone and back with it in a moment.

He stroked Izzy’s hair. “I’m not sure if you can hear me, but I’m going to put this between your legs, Izzy. Don’t come unless I tell you it’s okay.” He switched on the vibe and w
riggled it between her thighs until it was against her clit. She gasped and blinked a few times, but only grabbed onto his knee and started to grind against the vibe like she was fucking it. Her mouth was open and he traced along it with his thumb then slid his thumb inside. She sucked absently, her eyes still hazed over and unseeing. His cock throbbed for attention and he realized it had been for a while.

“You turned her into a sex zombie.” Gemma looked more worried than amused.

“I think she’s subspacing. It’s temporary. She’ll be your bratty partner in crime again in a few minutes.”

Izzy came in great shuddering gasps, clutching his leg like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. When she was done
, he shut off the vibe and pulled her up onto the couch, hugging her to him, chest to chest. She’d come without permission, but he was relatively certain she hadn’t been in any condition to hear him when he’d given the order.

He snapped his fingers at Gemma and pointed to the floor between his feet. Glaring, she moved to him and knelt where he indicated, her knees open and hands clasped behind her head. Beautiful. He watched her over Izzy’s head.

“I don’t like it when you snap your fingers at me like I’m a dog.”

“I wouldn’t snap my fingers at a dog.”

Her mouth fell open in disbelief and she sputtered angrily, as if searching for words.

“That’s a good look for you, girl. Now suck my cock before your bratty mouth gets you in trouble again.”

She growled something unintelligible, but unbuttoned his jeans. If she bit him there’d be hell to pay. He said so, in case the thought had crossed her mind.

Just the freeing of his cock made him groan in relief.

“Poor Cross. You have such a
hard
life.” Gemma laughed suggestively.

“Suck. Now.”

She leveled an assessing look at him, as if unsure of something.

“You like it when I fuck your mouth
.” She blushed and averted her gaze. “I can do it again next time, but you don’t want me to jostle poor Isadora right now, do you?”

Her sigh was eloquent. Gemma was first sub he’d had whose submission came
with an obligatory eye-rolling
–
a trait that made him itch to dom her hard. He held her gaze and felt a thrill of sadism run through him. Gemma tied down, welted, gagged, nipple clamped, tears in her eyes, body begging to come. He wanted to beat her ass – own her and make her feel it to her core. Both girls made him protective and giddy and affectionate. But Gemma? The overt mocking challenge she constantly threw at him sometimes made him feel...violent. Cross could have crumpled up that emotion and tossed it aside. Life had taught him a lot of self-control. Except she seemed to crave his violence. They’d have to test her limits sometime, but the two of them could be like gasoline and a match if he wasn’t careful.