Empowered [Sexual Magic 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (11 page)

He shrugged off her admiration. “It was necessary. I would never have done so otherwise, but Madelyn needed immediate care. I could see Krista was still breathing, so I patched Maddie up and took her away. As soon as we were out of the room, I called the hotel and told them to check on her. Maddie and I left the island within a couple of hours.”

“And today was the first time you’ve seen her since then?” Gabriel asked.

“No, last year she had a friend of ours, another Enricher, trussed like a rack of lamb and was beating him bloody.” Coldness crept through him. “The only way we could get her attention away from Mason was to use Madelyn as bait.”

“Shit!”

“Tell me about it. Longest damn twenty minutes of my life, that’s for sure. The Council had been made aware of her tactics after the first time, but there was nothing they could really do. However, when she went as far as she did with Mason, they decided to keep a close eye on her while they debated a solution.”

“What kind of solution?”

“I don’t know. Nothing Machiavellian, I assure you. We’re in the business of helping people, not killing them. But Clarissa and the rest of the Council were spooked enough to keep her under surveillance.”

“Wait a sec, if they knew where she was, why would they send you two here? Why not wait until you could approach me elsewhere?”

Madelyn sighed. “She slipped their watch, apparently. No one knew where she was until earlier today.”

Gabriel flicked at the couch. “Do you think she’s going to leave the island?”

“If she knows what’s good for her,” Noah said with a growl. He was secretly hoping she didn’t flee. He longed to have it out with the bitch. He wanted to strap her down like she’d had Mason and flail her until
she
bled as hard as she’d made his friend.

Revenge was a sweet temptation, and if Krista left the island, he wouldn’t have the chance to gain it.

“I hope she goes,” Madelyn said with a delicate shudder. “What she did to that poor girl was horrible.” She tipped her head. “How did you end up with her?”

Pique tinged the question, and Noah glanced down at her, surprised to find her eyes narrowed and mouth pinched.

“After what happened, I just wanted to get away,” Gabriel said softly. “I went to the farthest building on the resort and downed a few drinks. She showed up and we talked.”

“And you went off with her, just like that?” Madelyn snapped.

“No, I was actually leaving. She’d made some remark, something that made me uneasy. I stood to leave and she changed. Became softer, a bit more self-effacing. She invited me to watch a demonstration of the difference between disciplining a man versus a woman. I was curious, so I went.”

Gabriel’s eyes closed briefly before he gave them a grim stare. “If I hadn’t been there to stop her, I think Krista would have killed Winslet.”

Madelyn rose and slid onto the sofa between the two men. She placed her palm in the center of Gabriel’s chest. “
Oui
, it is good you were there. And now that you are aware, you must be on your guard.”

“Count on it.”

She gave him an approving smile then sank back into the cushions and drew herself up to sit cross-legged. She leaned her head against the couch back and stared at the popcorn ceiling. “I wish there was someplace safe we could all play.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t safety and acceptance why we’re here?” Gabriel asked.

She lolled her head to look at him. “This place is great, don’t get me wrong. Anything and everything goes here. But it’s quite expensive, and there are actually very few safety measures in place. They don’t have the desire or manpower to thoroughly screen every visitor beyond age. I’d love to be able to walk into a comfortable, clean place and know those around me have been vetted and, if there was a problem, someone would be immediately at hand to take care of it.”

Gabriel’s expression was arrested, and he sat up a little straighter. “Like a dance club, but something meant for the lifestyle?”

“
Exactement
. I know they exist, but they’re usually underground or members only with an exorbitant fee or something.”

“Huh, I like that. Yeah, that’s a really good idea.”

She saw him processing and sifting the information. Given what she knew of his business acumen, Madelyn was pretty sure she’d just sent him down a direction he’d not thought of before.

Just the way she planned.

She turned to Noah. “So, now what?”

He gave her that heated, languid smile which always made her burn from the inside. Her nipples tightened, and she surreptitiously spread her legs a little wider, enjoying the way the air glided over her pussy.

She knew what he was about to say and urged him on with her eyes.

“Gabriel, since you’ve had the unfortunate luck to twice experience bad sessions, how about we have a real one?”

His silence was long and taut. She looked at him, surprised to find unease on his face.

“What’s wrong,
chéri
?”

“I’m not sure this is the right aspect for me.”

“It’s like riding a bike after you fall off,” Noah said. “You have to get back on or you’ll always be afraid.”

She snorted. “Did you just compare me to a bike?”

He winked at her. “Yep. Come on, man, what do you say?”

Gabriel’s sigh tore at her heart. Well did she remember those first few encounters. The fear and uncertainty, not to mention the shame and stigma often attached to the lifestyle. For a man of his power and reputation, indulging in this curiosity could be detrimental should word get out.

She tipped her head and studied him closer. But perhaps such things as gossip and sideways glances would not bother him. He was a difficult one to figure out. He kept his emotions quite hidden most of the time.

“I don’t know. God, why is this so difficult? Hell, I thought I’d come here, look around, hook up with a beach bunny for some mindless sex and go home. I never expected you two or any of the other mind-blowing shit I’ve run into.”

“You can’t handle it?” Noah asked coolly.

“I didn’t say that,” Gabriel snapped back. “I’m saying…” He stilled. “Hell, I don’t know what I’m saying.”

But she did. She sensed his tentativeness. Knew he was shying away because of what he’d done. She uncurled her legs and shifted to a kneeling position, balancing her hands on his thighs. He stared at her in surprise, but he wasn’t so taken off guard his cock didn’t respond.

Like a cat, she wound her way up his body, sliding her breasts along his chest, clenching and unclenching her fingernails in his legs.

He remained still, but his eyes lit with desire.

Madelyn licked at his throat, savoring the slightly salty tang of his skin. He tasted of ocean water and pure male. “First rule is honestly, remember?” she whispered.

He nodded.

“I know what you want. You want to control me. Force me to bend to your will. You want to know what it feels like to have a woman, this woman, under your domination. You want her begging, pleading you for her release and pleasure. Isn’t that correct, Gabriel?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, then his eyes narrowed, and he gripped her shoulders, pushing her upright. “Yes.”

“Good, then that is where we shall begin.” She disengaged his grip and stepped off the couch. In a few quick moves, she stripped herself bare then stood proudly naked before them.

She stared at the erection pushing at his crotch. “What turns you on so much? My nakedness or the idea of what you want to do to me?”

“Both,” he rasped and rose. He looked at Noah, who also stood. “I will need your guidance. I suggest we form a plan, starting with the most simple and basic elements, then work our way up to more exotic including implements. I would like to know each level before moving to the next.”

She chuckled. “Spoken like a true businessman.”

His hand moved lightning fast and grazed her hip, fingertips digging into her buttocks. “I prefer strategist.”

She gasped then smiled in delight. “Whatever you say, Sir.”

“Sir,” he repeated, head tipped. “Is that the normal thing for a submissive to say to a Dom?”

“It can be considered good etiquette,” she replied. “It varies, as in all things. Most Doms do prefer Sir or Master.”

“Master?” His distaste was evident.

“It’s a dual-purpose word,” Noah said. “It’s usually very private and a signal of commitment between a Dom and his submissive, most often following a collaring ceremony. But sometimes it helps a sub know if she’s being trolled.”

Madelyn saw the confusion rising and covered Gabriel’s crotch to avoid the subject. “We’ll explain later. For now, I will call you Sir, if you like.”

He nodded. “Sir is fine.” He looked at Noah. “I see we have a shit ton of information to go over. It’s not just spanking and games, is it?”

“Hell no,” Noah replied. “It’s much more cerebral than that, but the route to such mind games is often started through physical touch. It’s a combination of both the intellectual—mind control, if you will—and sensory overload.”

He motioned, and she stepped forward, dropping immediately into submissive mode. A delicious sense of foreboding washed over her. It was the kind of emotion that had her teetering on the edge of sensual madness. Though on one hand she knew what was coming, she didn’t know how. The unknown always thrilled her.

“Clasp your elbows behind your back,” Noah barked. “I want your tits thrust out.”

She did, arching her shoulders just a bit to enhance the lift of her large breasts.

Gabriel’s low murmur of appreciation went all the way to her toes, and she bit back a pleased smile.

“Before you even get to the stage of nudity, you should know what type of sub you are playing with. Whether she is into pain like Madelyn here, or prefers a more subtle and gentler hand.”

“Gentle sounds at odds with the nature of BDSM.”

“Not at all,” Noah said. “The underlying theme of the lifestyle is the exchange of power. In the beginning, both of you have it. Your goal is to strip it away from your sub. The other thing you must know before you start playing for real is your own preference. Checklists and research will help with that. Some things you will not be interested in from the get-go and that’s fine. Just don’t hook up with someone really into knife play or infantilism if that’s not on your list of pleasures.”

“Definite nos,” Gabriel said.

Madelyn shifted, wondering if Noah had forgotten about her. She’d fully expected him to play with her breasts when he’d given her the stance. She pouted a little and huffed a small breath.

He didn’t react and her frown deepened. Maybe he didn’t hear her. Should she go further? Be louder?

“What we know about you is that you like control, you don’t mind inflicting pain within reason and some humiliation aspects are okay. Right?”

“Sounds about right.”

The excitement threading Gabriel’s voice fed into her growing need, and Madelyn cleared her throat.

Without warning, Noah’s finger and thumb clamped hard over her still-soft nipple and squeezed so hard the nub flattened to the thickness of a sheet of paper.

She gasped and lurched, losing her grip on her elbows.

“Stance,” he barked and latched onto her other nipple.

“Ah,” she yelped and swayed more. Her vision clouded for just a moment, and a tear formed in her eye. She hated,
hated
, when he worked her nipples. Intense, prickly sensation swept through her, creating a vortex of almost nauseating proportions in her belly. She stilled immediately, snapped her arms back behind her, and breathed shallowly through her mouth.

Noah’s stare was cool. “As you can see, she gets impatient as well and tries to drive the action. This is called topping from the bottom. The sub attempts to move the scene in the direction he or she wishes to go.” He grimaced. “You won’t be domming any guys, right?”

“No,” Gabriel said. “I’m only interested in women.”

“Good. Then I’m going to forgo the he/she crap and just go with she. Because Maddie also likes pain, she’ll sometimes behave like a brat to up the ante. If you’ve not yet really gotten into the scene and she feels you’re moving too slow, she’ll do something like sigh or sway or otherwise break position, hoping you will punish her.”

The look on Gabriel’s face was priceless. Confusion mixed with annoyance and liberally sprinkled with chagrin. “Well, what do you do? If you punish her, then you’re giving her what she wants.”

“Remember what I said about Madelyn’s nipples? They’re very sensitive. She can barely take a clamp, and that’s only after a lot of prep. It’s a different kind of feeling and one she doesn’t tolerate well. So, instead of whipping her ass and back harder, you discipline her nipples, like this, until she settles down.”

He squeezed again for good measure, and she barely kept her mouth shut. She’d give him an earful later tonight.

She looked at Gabriel and found him with a small smile on his beautiful mouth and devilish understanding in his hazel eyes. Oh, damn, that meant trouble for her. He learned quickly, that much was obvious.

“Ready to behave?”

“Yes, Sir,” she said softly.

Noah’s fingers dropped away and she drew a shaky breath.

“It’s imperative you talk with your sub the first few times you play, regardless of the checklist information she’s filled out. Sometimes they’ll mark things they don’t truly understand or maybe just want to try and it ends up being all wrong. I’d suggest no gags of any kind when you first start out so you can openly communicate.”

“No gags. Got it.”

Madelyn sensed his impatience growing. Good, the sooner they were done with the boring talk, the sooner she could feel the whip on her back. God, how she loved the feeling of the leather licking her skin. She enjoyed the sweet, sharp sting as it snapped along her flesh and how it stuck before sliding off with tiny prickles of heat.

She shuddered inwardly, her pussy clenching in anticipation.

“You’re not just controlling the sub, Gabriel, you must also be in control of yourself.”