Chapter 26

Mae’s whole body was throbbing with arousal. She hadn’t been this turned on this quickly, or with such little physical contact, since she first discovered the delightful worlds of kink. Despite that, one thought was running though her mind on a loop.

What are you doing?

When the big bad wolf tells you you’re free to go, a smart person leaves. Apparently Mae was not as smart as she thought she was, because not only hadn’t she left, but she’d taunted him. She was setting herself up for a corrective punishment, and coming from this Dom that would probably be far more than she was equipped to handle.

And yet…when he’d looked at her she felt something, something she wanted to feel again.

Master Xavier pulled some papers out of an envelope. “Do you remember what you put on your checklist?”

Mae barely remembered filling out the checklist. “No, Sir.”

“Once we begin—if we begin—you will call me Master Xavier.”

“Yes, Master Xavier.” She liked the way that felt, liked saying it.

“I’ll start by reading off the list of items under B.” He flipped the page, scanned the text, then looked at her. “Ball gag. Beating, soft. Beating, hard.”

Mae was acutely aware that he was studying her reaction to each thing he said. She winced at “beating, hard.” The idea should have dampened her arousal, but didn’t. If anything it increased it.

“Blindfolding. Being serviced. Biting. Breast bondage. Breast whipping.”

Mae’s breathing was fast, her fingers clenching rhythmically. She shouldn’t want these things. This wasn’t who she was.

“Branding.”

Mae’s gaze jerked to his, that one word enough to knock her out of the arousal-fueled daze. “We only do the things that both of us said yes to on our lists.”

Master Xavier nodded and Mae relaxed. There was no way she’d marked branding as an interest.

“There’s more. Boot worship. Bondage, light. Bondage, heavy.” His voice got deeper, and she realized he was aroused too. “B is a good letter. Bondage, multi-day. And finally, one more bondage, but this one is public under clothing.”

Now that he’d listed them off, Mae remembered the checklist. She remembered the desperate arousal she’d felt while reading it.

“If you choose to stay, you will remain with me from now until Monday morning. This is a purely BDSM scene, meaning there will be no sex, except as it relates to ‘being serviced.’ I have a copy of your hard limits, and know your safe word, but that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t find submitting to me very difficult. I would not be easy on you, just because you’re…” he motioned vaguely.

He thought she couldn’t handle him. Well she could. Maybe. She was stronger than anyone ever gave her credit for, and she wanted Xavier to know it. “I wouldn’t want you to be.” The words were mostly bravado, and she had a bad feeling that it would take only a matter of minutes for Master Xavier to push her deeper than she’d gone before.

Master Xavier searched her face. “You’re not what I expected.”

I’m not what I expected right now either.

Mae didn’t know how to respond, so she tucked her chin down and stared at her knees. It wasn’t exactly a compliment, but it made her feel strong, as if defying his expectations freed her to be complicated.

“Push down your robe, Mae. Show me your other breast.”

With a shrug of her shoulder the robe slid off, the fabric now held in place by the sash at her waist. The first hints of arousal curled in her belly and her blood heated in anticipation.

Xavier stood and circled around behind her. He cupped her neck, thumb and middle finger pressing lightly on the soft spots just behind her jawbone. It forced her head up and back, so she was looking at him.

“You understand what I’ll do to you?”

“Yes, Master Xavier.”

“I want to hear it.”

“You’ll do everything on the checklist that both of us said yes to.”

“That may be only one thing.” His thumb moved in a small circular caress over the sensitive skin below her ear. “It may be all of them.”

“Yes, Master Xavier.”

“I won’t fuck you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t touch you, use you.”

“I know.”

He held her gaze for another moment and then released her. He made a noise of either anger or disgust. Mae had a moment to wonder what she’d done wrong while he stalked away, but then he turned.

“Last chance, little girl.”

“I’m not your little girl.”

“Okay, Red, you’re right. You’re not a little girl.” Master Xavier took out a pocket knife and flicked the blade open. “But what you are is mine.”