She pressed her mouth to the back of his neck. "I remember the night I gave you the flogging for putting your feet on the wall. You said things like that. But you didn't mean them. When you say that now, I get all wet and slippery for you." She rubbed her mound against his ass, her teeth nipping him. Fuck, she was going to kill him.
He'd gotten a haircut and the skin was so clean and smooth on his neck it made the touch of her lips all the more potent. His hands closed into half fists.
"We've talked about your hands, haven't we?"
He loosened them with an effort. Though he'd been struggling for control of his lust, the fist clenching sent mixed signals to his mind. In a nerve-wracking scenario like he was facing in the next few minutes, that trigger could open the gateway to the side of himself he was learning to manage...and she was helping him to heal.
"Good." Regina slid her arms all the way around him, and began plucking open the buttons to the white shirt. "I'm taking this off. I want you in the slacks and shoes only, and so do our guests. No. Leave your hands as they are. I want to do it."
She did it thoroughly, caressing his chest, nipples and abdomen, stroking his arms as she slid shirt and jacket off of them. When she commanded him to turn and face her, he knew his eyes reflected the desire to have her. As she palmed his cock, he bit back a groan. Her eyes sparked.
"You arranged this, Marius. You want to make amends, to say you're sorry. But what do you need to remember above everything else? The most important thing?"
Would she ever understand how grateful he was to say it and mean it? It still felt like a miracle to him, that he had reached the point he could do it.
"You're my Mistress. I serve your will."
She leaned in, brushing her sinful lips against his temple, his cheek. "Actually, what I intended you to say was 'I'm yours.' Possessive man."
He grinned, things loosening in his lower belly. "Sometimes a sub has to remind a Mistress she's his, too."
She pinched his side with sharp nails. "Bad boy. You'll pay for that in a lot of different ways today." She sobered, laying her hand on his jaw. "That's why I want you to remember you belong to me. You're making amends, doing what a man should do. This is the right thing to do, and because it's the right thing to do, you don't stand alone. Understand?"
He wasn't sure he did, but her words settled things in him. Her penetrating look said she knew he was uncertain about it, and she didn't push him to answer. "I'm going to go sit down. In five minutes, you come out and get things started."
He nodded, but when she started to step away, he was holding onto her waist. She raised a brow.
"May I kiss you, Mistress?"
"You may."
He focused on her beautiful lips, her warm skin, the vibrant quality that infused her dark eyes like sunlight. While he wanted his mouth on every part of her, he knew what part of her he needed to kiss right now. Dropping to one knee, he bent and kissed the top of her foot, pressing his lips there hard, his forehead brushing her shin. He heard the little catch of her breath and knew he'd pleased her, which was the best feeling there was.
It would carry him through anything less than that in the next couple hours.
Even before he emerged from the back room, the wave of female chatter told him they'd arrived. Seventeen women, including his Mistress. Though he was supposed to do the bulk of the serving, Chloe and Melissa, Marguerite's staff, would be helping.
He glanced down at himself. Upper body bare and dark, close fitting slacks belted at the waist. Shiny shoes. His cock was still semi-hard in the harness, thanks to his Mistress's parting words.
"While you're serving those other Mistresses, I'll be thinking about how every inch of you is mine. When your penance is done today, you'll know it, too. And next time I ask you what the most important thing is to remember, you'll say it the way you should."
He stepped out onto the main floor, and that chatter slowly died down as seventeen pairs of eyes turned and came to rest upon him. Neutral, assessing, the way Mistresses did. These were damn good Dommes, and he was hit anew by how he'd disrespected them, and the gift they could give a sub open to receiving it. He thought of how he'd feel about anyone who disrespected his Mistress and the surge of near-violence unsteadied him.
Multiple five-seat round tables were decorated prettily with flowers, napkins and delicate dishes. He'd helped handle the set up last night, polishing everything and following Marguerite and Chloe's direction for the arrangement of both furniture and place settings, but until he stood at the front of the room and took it all in, he hadn't recognized the final, impressive results. Things looked nice, classy. Feminine.
Marguerite was sitting at the table with his Mistress. Lyda was on Regina's right, and their expressions, even Regina's, were quiet and waiting. Expectant, intimidating and measuring, as Mistresses could be. In the right ways.
Regina had walked him through what he wanted to say. She'd helped him get it clear in his own mind so it would come out sincere and from the heart, even if he stumbled a couple times.
He cleared his throat. "Thanks...thank you for coming today. I...uh, wanted to do this because I know I didn't do right by you when you gave me the honor of your attention in session. I disrespected you."
A scoffing sound, laden with contempt, caught his attention. Mistress Tia was one of Siren's closest friends, and
her expression wasn't neutral. That was okay. Despite the drop in his stomach her brief reaction caused, he pressed onward.
"I was pretty messed up. That's not an excuse; just the reason. I don't think there's any right way to say I'm sorry for how I acted. Maybe it just has to be that way, you always disliking me because I was an asshole. I accept that, and I'm still sorry. I was wrong. What I did was wrong, no matter the reason. But from here forward, you can expect the courtesy and respect from me you all really deserve. I know only time will help you believe that, but this is the starting line for proving that to each of you. If there's anything I can do to earn your forgiveness, I'll do it."
Regina cleared her throat and he glanced her way. "I mean, if my Mistress agrees."