Liam unbuckled his belt and pulled it from its loops. It was made from soft black leather, a large filigreed silver buckle at its center. He perched himself on the edge of the stool and pointed to the ground. “Kneel up.”
Alex obeyed, her heart tripping against her ribs, her eyes on the belt. Liam tossed it toward her. “Lick the tip. Make it nice and wet. Then get up here on my lap for the whipping you’ve earned.”
She took the belt, confused by the strange request. Nevertheless, she obeyed, licking the soft leather on both sides with the flat of her tongue and taking it into her mouth to suck it.
Liam held out his hand and she gave him the belt. “Get over my knees.” Though Liam had punished, corrected, sexually tortured and even made love to Alex, she had spent much more time with Daniel during their long days together while Liam was at work.
She found herself almost shy now as she draped her bare body over his denim-clad thighs and felt the evidence of his arousal beneath her. While she was deeply sexually attracted to both men, beyond their D/s arrangement she knew Daniel and Liam did not reciprocate the attraction.
Or if they did, she wasn’t aware of it. No—their attraction to her was in her willingness to submit and suffer as a sub but not as a woman. Aware the erection poking hard against her was for Daniel and for the scene, she tried to content herself with that.
This whipping with a belt wasn’t a punishment and they all three knew it. For a masochist like Alex, while the sting was as real for her as anyone, the pleasure it would give rise to was well worth the pain. She would take her “punishment” with grace and impress the guys with her self-control.
Or so she thought.
She wasn’t prepared for the sting that seared her skin when the tip struck her ass. She yelped and gripped Liam’s legs to keep from rubbing the fiery spot. Belatedly she realized because the belt was wet, its cut was sharper.
Liam struck her hard in a series of rapid blows. This wasn’t the sensual stroke of soft leather she’d been expecting. The biting lash hurt more than a spanking, more than a flogging, even more than a cropping. It was on par with a cane or the dreaded snake whip she had been introduced to the week before.
“Ow, ow, ow!” Alex squealed and whimpered, any plans of taking her punishment with grace abandoned. Liam ignored her cries, gripping the back of her neck to hold her in place while he relentlessly whipped her poor burning ass until she was wriggling and yelping, her grip white-knuckled against his legs.
She sagged against him. She hadn’t slipped into that peaceful, serene place where pain melted with pleasure into an alloy of ecstasy. She was simply too exhausted to struggle any longer.
“Had enough?” Liam’s voice was husky with lust. He dropped the belt and stood, holding Alex in his arms. Gently he lowered her to the ground. She lay where he left her, reaching back to gingerly touch her burning ass.
Liam knelt beside her. “Stay right there. I’m not done with you.” She was glad to be told not to move. She felt as if she’d just run a marathon. As always seemed to happen when she was punished, despite the pain or perhaps because of it, the stirring heat of her desire matched the fiery heat of her abraded skin.
Liam released Daniel from the cross. “Turnabout is fair play. Now it’s your chance to prove your control, Alex. Same rules apply. Fifteen minutes. No hands. You come, you’re punished, you don’t, it’s Daniel’s turn.”
~*~
It took Daniel a second to process what Liam had just said.
Liam quirked an eyebrow. “Is there a problem, slave boy?”
Daniel felt himself coloring. While he loved to submit to Liam more than anything, when Alex was around, his own dominant inclinations rose to the fore. He had experienced the scene from a dominant mindset, aware Alex would fail and be punished accordingly. He had known she wouldn’t be able to make him come. He was far too well trained to succumb to her ardent but not especially skilled attentions.
“No, Sir,” he quickly replied.
“Glad to hear it,” Liam said dryly, a hint of amusement in his expression. He sat cross-legged on the ground at Alex’s head. “Roll over onto your back and spread your legs,” Liam told Alex.
She obeyed, wincing as her tender ass made contact with the carpet. Liam took her head into his lap and stroked the hair from her face. Daniel couldn’t help the stab of jealousy as he watched.
He crouched between Alex’s knees and glanced up, meeting Liam’s gaze.
Liam smiled and reached out his hand to stroke Daniel’s cheek. “See if you can make this slut girl come.” He looked down at Alex. “And you—try to maintain some level of control. Hold yourself in check until I give you permission. If you can make it past the fifteen minutes, I’ll let you climax. But not a moment before, understand?”