Safeword Interrupted (The Cattail Club Book 1) Read online

“Don’t.” He lifted her chin with one finger, his normally aqua eyes now a dark azure blue. “While I understand this was more than either of us expected, if you run I will do more than tan your ass. I will tie you to my bed and give you an orgasm that makes the one you just had seem like child’s play.”

  Child’s play?

  She groaned softly. She’d never survive it.

  “You promised you won’t run,” he reminded her softly. “And I’m just a big enough asshole to hold you to it, Bethany. Trust me to give you what you need…”

  “You were warned, little girl.”

  Deacon’s voice washed over Bethany, bringing her back to the present. It had only been a week since the scene in his office. But even as she’d agreed not to run, she’d known she flee. She wouldn’t, no couldn’t survive another round of what happened on his couch. At least, not with her heart intact.

  His calloused palms rasped over her bare shoulders, sending an involuntary shiver racing down her spine. She didn’t want to be reacting to him like this. Her heart pounded faster in her chest and she rubbed her suddenly damp hands over her thighs left bare by her bikini.

  In the distance, the waves crashed against the shore, while the throb of salsa music filled the air. But standing frozen on the small stone patio outside her rented bungalow, all she could think of now was she should’ve picked someplace other than Puerto Rico. Some place she hadn’t talked about at the bar if she’d really wanted to hide from him. Especially after he’d told her if she fled, he would follow. Deacon might be a dominant, but he was still her Deacon. An honest man who always finished what he started.

  Even though I’m the one who bailed after our little experiment blew up in my face.

  “Nothing to say? No excuses or pleas to get out of your coming punishment?” His lips brushed against the tip of her ear, once again causing goose bumps to race across her arms despite the humid summer air.

  “Not really,” she lied. “If you remember right, you approved my vacation time months ago. I wasn’t running…I swear.” Her reply came out as a cross between a moan and a sigh. Her thighs trembled in anticipation. Would he do it? Would he actually warm her ass before tying her to the bed? Her nipples beaded against the thin silk of her swimsuit top. She’d only agreed to his terms in a hope that once she proved it wasn’t him personally that aroused her, they could go back to their former friendship. But she’d failed miserably and had come on his couch from a mere spanking. By her own agreement, he could now do anything he wanted to her, and unless she safe-worded, there would be no stopping him from claiming every inch of her.

  “You swear, what, Bethany?” His teeth scraping over her the side of her neck became a blatant reminder of the rules she’d agreed to when they embarked on this fateful journey.

  “Sir,” she gasped, her head falling to the side. Pleasure warred with trepidation and burst along her nerve endings, as his agile tongue soothed away the sting of his nip.

  “Then why did you leave without me? You knew I planned on coming with you.” His hands slipped down her arms before he tugged her back against his body. The warm denim of his shorts and damp t-shirt teased her bare back. However, it wasn’t his words or even the rough texture of his clothing that caught her attention - it was the hard length of his erection wedged against the small of her back.

  Dear Lord, is that all him?

  “I expect an answer.” His thumbs brushed the side of her breasts. “And I’m not a patient man after chasing your little ass over fifteen hundred miles from home.”

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to ignore the foreign need pulsating through her. She was a strong woman. As the manager of Deacon’s bar, she had to be. The patrons would eat her alive if she showed the slightest bit of weakness. No one would ever claim she was a shy wallflower, or a woman who ever deferred to her man.

  Until seeing Deacon dominate another woman dug up a part of me I thought so far buried it’d never see the light of day again.

  The rawness of the act had awoken something Bethany had hoped would slumber forever - if she ignored it long enough, even as her envy had flared. Not that she was jealous of the woman moaning brokenly under Deacon. His flings were a dime a dozen, and she’d come to terms with her friend’s tomcatting ways a long time ago. But that hadn’t stopped her from creaming her panties when she witnessed, for the first time, his iron-clad control as he fucked the mindless woman.

  The command in his voice when he ordered the little bimbo not to come until he gave her permission - the sheer force of his lust - the thrusts of his hips that rocked the desk until the legs were scraping across the wood floor. He’d been in total control of the encounter. As the recipient of his lust, all the woman could do was hang on for the ride. His pure dominance had wrapped around her, holding her in place, until he’d finally realized he’d had an audience and met her gaze. His low curse had been earthy. Even as she fled his office, she wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of Deacon’s primal desires.

  Pain radiated out from her nipple, jerking her free of the erotic memory. She whimpered as his grip eased up for a moment before tightening once more. The pleasure mixed with the sting, and his name slipped past her lips. “Sir…please!”

  “I would’ve, if you hadn’t taken off early.” His whiskers scraped over her cheek. “If you’d waited one extra day, we could have been tearing up the sheets already. Instead you got a mere taste of how perfect we’d be together, and panicked.”

  What could she say to that? He only spoke the truth. It wasn’t his fault she’d been overwhelmed by the unexpected connection she’d felt during their little experiment.

  And, heaven help me, he promised more of the same.

  “Now your actions have left me with no choice but to punish you.”

  A weak flare of pseudo-feminism tried to rise inside of her. “One punishment was enough. I am not a child - my leaving on a scheduled vacation broke none of your rules.”

  Her words died in her throat, when another squeeze to her already hard nipples sent all thoughts of protests right out of her head. Despite her upbringing, her body wanted, even begged for the pleasure he offered.

  “Leaving ahead of schedule, after I had to coerce my brother into covering for me at the bar, just so we could start your training, isn’t what my submissive does.” He let one hand drift down to tug at the edge of her bikini bottoms. “That’s what a spoiled brat does – and spoiled brats get punished, especially after their dominant had to close early to chase after her.”

  She squirmed in an attempt to free herself, but his thick arms kept her pinned against him, as she realized the money he had to have lost by closing early on Friday night. While the Spurs and Chaps could withstand the loss of a few hours of revenue, it would sink if Deacon kept it closed for the two weeks she was on vacation. “Damn it, Deacon, please tell me Steven is at the bar. If not, you should go home – your business needs you.” As Deacon’s fraternal twin and owner of the town’s most well-loved family restaurant, Steven was more than capable of running the bar for a few days.

  He shook his head slowly, the ends of his shaggy hair teasing her bare skin. “Steven is covering my ass, so quit worrying. Even if he wasn’t, the woman in front of me needs me more.” Then he nuzzled the top of her head, before slowly releasing her. “I know you’re scared of what happened in my office, but I’m not letting you go through this alone.” He squeezed her hip. “So instead of paddling your ass right now as is my right, we’re going to sleep on it.”

  Catching hold of the bamboo railing that skirted the patio, she turned to face him and almost wished she hadn’t. With the slightly rumpled black bar t-shirt, the spur logo denoting his bar stretched across his wide chest, Deacon was sex on a stick - one she desperately wanted a bite of. But then again, she’d always been a sucker for a well-developed chest. And that wasn’t even getting to the faded denim cupping his thick thighs, and the tempting bulge between them, while the wind tousled his dark hair. />
  If only he’d let the ‘me Dom, you submissive’ shit drop, I could kick these needs back into the corner and find some random guy to fuck and go back to lusting after him from afar.

  “However, a Dom can choose to be merciful with a new submissive, and I’m just tired enough to let things go for tonight.” His eyes glittered with banked desire. “But come tomorrow, we will deal with consequences of your actions.”

  Chapter Two

  Mmmm.

  The heat draped over him, along with the familiar cinnamon-vanilla scent teased Deacon’s nose as the tempting package nestled next to him burrowed closer. Another low rumble of pleasure escaped him as his morning wood made a pronounced statement by thickening under the sleek thigh his sub had tossed over his lap. He normally didn’t sleep with his subs, but she was different. She was more than a quick lay…and always had been.

  Opening his eyes when she mumbled his name, he watched her then slip back to sleep. He blinked once, then twice against the bright sunlight streaming through the open veranda doors. The last vestiges of sleep fell away and his brain clicked on. Without lifting his head, he stared down at the honey blonde tresses spread across his chest and wanted to crow. He’d finally gotten Bethany where he wanted her – in his arms and bed. Now, he just had to figure out how to keep her there until he’d sated his need for her.

  Especially after spending eighteen hours in airports.

  He’d honestly hoped his reminder after their scene would keep her from fleeing, but he knew his friend too well. All he had to do was look into those gorgeous eyes of hers to know their unexpected sexual connection scared her shitless. He’d had subs orgasm before during a barehanded spanking, but never like his little Bethany. It was almost as if she’d been on the razor’s edge even before he’d touched her. She hadn’t just come, she’d imploded – rocking him to the core of his very dominant soul. Her cries of shocked pleasure had called to the hidden part of him that every other sub had never touched during his numerous scenes.

  Which should scare the hell out of me, instead of whetting my appetite for more. Now I have to figure out how to punish her without scaring her off.

  Letting his hand stroke down her spine, he turned the problem over in his mind. He loved being a Dom, but at this particular moment he almost wished he could be a vanilla man – that he could just seduce her into seeing him – to staying at his side. Because sure as the sun rose in the east, Bethany wasn’t going to be happy when he dealt out her punishment after breakfast.

  But she was warned about running - and the consequences if she did.

  Of course, his dick - the traitor, throbbed hard at the thought of tying her to the bed, and torturing her body until she was wet down to her knees with her desire. A bounty he’d love to lap up if it weren’t for the fact it was punishment.

  “Mmmmm….Deacon?” Her voice was sleepy as if she were lingering on the edge between slumber and wakefulness.

  He tightened his arms around her. “Shhh, it’s still early, little one. You can sleep for a little longer.”

  “Mmmm…kay…” Her breath evened out, teasing his nipple.

  He continued to rub her back, savoring the quiet of the morning and having his sweet sub nestled against him.

  * * * *

  “Excuse me?” Bethany’s cheeks warmed as she stared at Deacon. She’d just loaded the dishwasher with their breakfast dishes. Sitting at the small table in the corner, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. Surely, she hadn’t heard him right. Seriously – he hadn’t just asked her to strip and put her naked ass on the table where they’d just finished eating their morning meal.

  “You heard me, Bethany. We’re both well rested now and your apprehension will only continue to grow the longer we wait. So lose the shorts and get your sexy ass over here. We’ve put this off long enough.” He gave a pointed glance at the space between his spread thighs.

  Wiping her damp palms over said shorts, she struggled with her need to obey as well as a dash of fear. She’d already experienced his form of punishment once, and he’d promised to fuck the hell out of her after warming her ass. While the idea of it made her wet, she wasn’t sure she wanted their first time together to be part of a punishment.

  “I…look, can we talk about this?” She nibbled on her lower lip, her gaze on the floor. “I know you’re angry I left, Sir, but...surely you don’t want our first time to be like this.”

  She heard his long drawn out sigh. “Then perhaps you should’ve thought about that before you fled. I offered to do this the slow way. Remember?”

  Panic swirled around her, but what he was saying was only the truth. “But…”

  “But nothing. Either lose the shorts and get your ass over here, or I’ll come get you.” Steel laced his words. “If that happens, it’s only going to be harder on you.”

  Her trembling fingers reached for the button on her shorts. Her breath grew ragged as she fumbled with the zipper. Easing it down, she let the khaki shorts fall around her ankles. A quick flick of her legs and she was free of them. She took two steps toward him, when he spoke again.

  “The underwear too.”

  She jerked, then lifted her head to meet his cold gaze. “Sir?”

  “Did you not understand my request?” He slowly stood, his face hard and almost distant.

  Her heart leapt in her chest as she hooked her fingers under the edge of her panties and shoved them down her legs. She’d never felt so exposed in her life.

  “Table, Bethany.”

  His detached cool tone had her scrambling to obey. Who was this stranger? She didn’t recognize the stone-faced Dominant as her fun loving friend. Once she was there, he lifted her up onto the wooden surface. She winced at the cool feel against her bare ass. Her eyes stung as he lifted her chin with one finger. “That was your one free pass, little one. Refuse to obey again at your own risk. Understand?”

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered.

  “Lay back with your arms above your head.”

  Confusion filled her, but she did as told, easing down until she was flat on the table. Reaching above her head, she gripped the edge of the wood with her fingers, unwilling to push him any further.

  “Good girl.” He moved out of her sight. Then there was some rustling. She shifted to look. “Eyes straight ahead.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  The longer she lay there listening to him move around and the rustle of who knew what, her fear slowly faded. Surely if he were going to hurt her, he would’ve already. Right?

  There were several clanks, then his fingers wrapped around one wrist. She jerked in surprise when cool leather encircled it. Her gaze darted up, only to receive a smack to the tender side of her exposed underarm. “Eyes down or I’ll blindfold you again.”

  “Sorry, Sir. The leather surprised me.”

  “Forgiven. But don’t let it happen again.” Then he repeated the procedure with her other arm. “Lift your left leg.”

  She raised it until it was at a right angle to her body.

  “Higher, Bethany. I want to see how flexible you are.”

  Thankful for the gymnastics she took as a child and the weekly yoga class that kept her limber now, she lifted her leg until it was above her head. She felt the familiar burn along the backside of her thigh. “Like this, Sir?”

  “Very nice.” He snapped a leather cuff around her ankle. “Other leg.”

  Once he had both legs cuffed, he attached them somehow to the underside of the upper cabinet , leaving both her ass and pussy exposed. She never felt so vulnerable in her life. “Comfortable?” Deacon moved back into her line of vision.

  “I’m spread out on a table with my legs hoisted over my head and my ass hanging out. What do you think?” She fought the blush threatening to consume her, when he came to stand between her thighs.

  THWACK!

  She gasped as pain radiated from her left ass cheek. Positioned as she was, she suddenly realized that her Sir knew what he was doing. By
positioning her as he had, not only was her pussy exposed, but so was her ass. She was so fucked.

  “Care to rephrase that?” He asked coolly as he dropped a dark blue duffle on the table next to her hip. She shook her head as he opened the bag and began to pull out items. Her heart raced at the thick leather belt. It had various silver hooks and straps hanging from it. Then he placed a white magic wand massager next to it along with a flogger. Her eyes widened.

  “Fuck.”

  The word slipped out on a gasp.

  A truly evil smile tugged at the corners of Deacon’s lips. “Eventually. If you take your punishment well.”

  Then somehow, he managed to fasten the leather belt around her waist and slip the wand into the holder that fell between her raised thighs. The head of it rested just below the fleshy part of her pussy. The weight of the vibrator against her mound had her juices flowing, even as it scared her. While she had a love affair with her rabbit vibrator at home, she’d never worked up the nerve to try a more powerful vibrator.

  She tried to ignore its presence as Deacon swung the flogger a few times, warming up his arm. With each swing, her tension grew. How was she going to survive this? Her safeword trembled on her lips when he stopped. Deacon had assured her, he would stop if she uttered it, but did that apply to punishment?

  “Sir?”

  “Yes, Bethany?” He paused to run one of his palms over her inner thigh.

  “What if I can’t handle this? Can I safeword?”

  He sighed. “You can, but that will only delay your punishment.” He lightly kneaded her tense muscles. “Much like a ripping off a band-aid, punishment should be quick and forceful. Drawing it out only prolongs the agony.” He met her eyes. “I’ve been a Dom a long time. Trust me to know how much you can take, little one.”

  She closed her eyes, her mind dwelling on his words. They made sense. She’d disobeyed, knowing the consequences. Would it be better to get the punishment over, or would he continue to be angry with her?

  “Will you still be mad once it’s over, Sir?”