Chapter 24

Kathryn shuddered at Faith’s bold declaration, closed her eyes while she steadied herself, then opened them again, looking straight at the model as she awaited the pronouncement of her fate.

“Before we start, I assume you know about safe words.” Kathryn nodded. “I won’t make them complicated, but there’s a small personal deviation from the usual. If you need a short break, if something’s just not feeling right, if something hurts that’s not supposed to hurt, or if there’s something you want to talk through before we continue, say the word yellow. If you’re unable to talk, which is definitely going to happen from time to time, strike something or someone three times with your hand or your foot. You won’t ever be completely immobilized — too much risk of bruising your skin if you struggle, which I can promise you will — so you won’t need a third option. The important thing to remember is that, if you use yellow or its equivalent, I’ll assume you want to keep going. We won’t abandon any ongoing power relationships unless there’s no other way to discuss the issue, and the intention will be to proceed as soon as possible even if we have to modify or abandon a specific action. Repeat that back to me in your own words, please.”

“Yellow or three strikes to pause. We’ll remain in dominant or submissive unless there’s no other option, and once the issue’s resolved we’ll continue.”

“Very good. Now: if you want me to stop, either say the word Stacy, or strike something or someone five times. Note that if you use the stop word, all further activity will cease and we won’t try again, so be sure it’s what you want. That said, please don’t be a martyr. If you really need me to stop, for any reason, don’t hesitate. Once again, please repeat that back to me in your own words.”

“Stacy or five strikes to stop, and everything comes to an end. May I ask a question?”

“We haven’t actually started yet, so you don’t have to ask permission. Ask all the questions you want before we do.”

“I only have one: why Stacy? Isn’t red the usual stop word?”

Alejandro’s rumbling chuckles momentarily broke Luke’s concentration, but Kathryn’s remained obediently locked on Faith. The model grimaced and gestured for the photographer to go ahead and answer. “Stacy is a model, and it may be definitive proof of the nonexistence of karma to observe that she is an extremely successful one. Faith loathes her with an intensity that never ceases to surprise me, despite its familiarity. Though, as I believe you can already tell, I cannot disagree with her assessment. She is a ... distasteful person.”

“Just hearing that conniving bitch’s name will cause me to fall out of the mood to do anything sexy or kinky,” Faith added. “It’s an extremely effective safe word for me — and my personal belief is that stop words are more about their effect on the top than they are about the bottom, though I realize that’s a controversial stance — because if you need to stop whatever’s happening, it will immediately force me to stew in a miasma of hate and loathing until I get it out of my system. Did I mention that she’s a villainous cunt?” Luke couldn’t help but laugh at her vituperation, but Kathryn remained stoic.

“Anyway, enough about that wench. Kathryn, I intend to do a reasonably wide variety of things with and to you, though it will depend on how you respond. As you’ve probably expected, I will subject you to some pain, though I think it will be quite manageable for you, and none of it will leave visible marks or bruises. You will also be restrained in various ways, though as promised you won’t be completely immobilized. That said, the majority of what I’m going to do will be primarily sexual or psychological in nature, and at times there will also be an emotional component. Do I have permission to do all those things? If you have any questions or concerns regarding the details, now’s your chance to ask. I’m not going to tell you everything, of course, because I want you off-balance and uncertain, but I can answer in a general way.”

“No questions or concerns. I understand that I have my safe words if I want to raise objections later, but the truth is that I’m unlikely to use them. I grant full permission for everything you’ve suggested.”

“Excellent. Now, let me make it clear who’s going to be who. You will be the only submissive. At the start, I will be your sole dominant and you will offer your complete submission to me. This is where it gets tricky; Luke is your partner and lover, and he may have vocal or physical reactions to your condition. No matter what he says or does, though, while I’m your only dominant you will ignore him and follow my orders. Do you understand?” Again, Kathryn nodded. “At some point, I intend to bring him into our play, though at first he will be taking suggestions from me. If that goes well enough, I may decide to declare us coequal dominants. If I do, you’ll submit to both of us from then on. If there’s a conflict between our demands that you can’t resolve on your own, use your safe words. As for Alejandro, while you should try to accede to whatever he wants, and as a general rule you should attempt to satisfy his sexual needs whoever there’s an opportunity to do so, you will not be submitting to him today. When it comes to him, you retain full free will and the right to say no to anything or everything. He’ll be closely monitoring you for signs of trauma or indications that you’re being pushed too far, so you’ll have to decide between your desires and your distress. Remember that it will be more difficult for him to care for you if he’s participating. Is all of that clear?”

Kathryn’s eyes gradually grew glazed and unfocused as Faith’s lecture went on, but her voice was as sharp and definitive as ever. “Yes, I understand perfectly.” Faith remained silent and still, quite obviously waiting for something. Kathryn’s head slowly dropped until she was staring at the floor, focusing on a point a few inches in front of Faith’s feet.

“Yes, I understand perfectly ... Mistress Faith.”

Holy shit. She did it! He glanced at Alejandro, who just cocked his head in the direction of the women, wordlessly suggesting that he should continue to pay close attention.

“Mistress is fine. I haven’t decided what I’m going to call you, though. For now, how about slut?”

“P ... please, Mistress.” Kathryn’s voice was shaking, her skin was flushed, and her nipples were so engorged that they looked like they were about to explode. Trickles of her vaginal secretions were already crawling down her inner thighs.

“Okay. For now, slut it is. Kneel, fold your hands behind your back, keep staring at the floor without moving or speaking, and wait for my instructions. This is your last chance to change your mind, so while you’re down there I want you to think very hard about whether or not you want this. Once I come back, things are going to move quickly.” Kathryn’s breath caught, but she immediately sank to her knees in exactly the position Faith requested.

In a very different tone than the one she’d used with the redhead, the model turned to Luke and said, “Come with me. We need to talk.” Guiding him to the far corner of the room, she firmly squeezed his hands as if trying to convince him of something through the sheer intensity of their physical contact. “I know you weren’t prepared for it, and that’s largely my fault because I did know better, but you missed an opportunity a few minutes ago. She wants ... no, that’s not correct ... she needs you to be able to dominate her. Now that she’s experienced double penetration, and is almost certainly going to experience another one later today, it’s what she wants more than anything that you haven’t already given her. I suspect, based on the look on your face, that you already know this. But when I gave you an opportunity to assert yourself, you instead handed over your permission to her. What you should have done — what she hoped you’d do — was answer for her, as if you own her.”

There it is again. This strange idea of ownership that keeps coming up. Ever since my wild-eyed notion to get Kathryn and Alejandro back in bed together, I’ve struggled with feelings of inadequacy and their overall closeness, but I’ve finally come to accept both, This, however, is a hurdle I’ve yet to clear.

“I don’t blame you, because this sort of thing can be bewildering and headlong if you’re not accustomed to it. I can tell you’re pretty new at this, and that’s fine. I think you’ll learn a lot over the next little while, and I feel extremely fortunate to be your kinky professor — especially as I hope you’ll unleash some of your newfound knowledge on me once we’re done — but your inexperience isn’t the core issue. If you’re going to play with her like this, you need to find a way to separate your love from her most fundamental desires, not all of which can be satisfied sexually. It can be hard to cause someone you love pain or suffering, whether it’s physical, psychological, or even just verbal, but the thing you need to understand is that, for a submissive, those are expressions of love. Or at least they can be, with the right partner and in the right setting. You’re the right partner, and this is the right setting, but for now I’m going to have to hold your hand and walk you through it. The truth is that while I’m very, very much looking forward to playing with her, I think that what’s about to happen is as much about you as it is about her. It won’t seem that way at first, but I promise that it will eventually. Maybe even today.”

“In the beginning, I want you to pay more attention to me than to her, though I know that’s going to be hard for you, especially as the intensity ramps up. I already have full control over her. It wasn’t particularly hard, because she wanted it so much, and while I don’t know how much experience she has, I know a natural submissive when I meet one. But I need you to trust me. I know what I’m doing, and I promise nothing’s going to happen that she won’t enjoy, no matter how much it might seem otherwise at the time. She’s going to be in pain, and she’s going to suffer, and whether or not she can talk she might cry and beg and plead for us to either stop what we’re doing, or to let her have things we’re not going to let her have. But I will bet anything you can dream up — go ahead and think of something appropriately sinister — that she’s not going to use her safe words. Anyway, as promised I’m going to gradually bring you into our play. When I think you can handle it, I’m going to turn over the majority of the control to you, though I’m not going to tell her that because I still need to be able to step in if you stumble. Don’t worry about what to do; I’ll be whispering in your ear the entire time, at least until you don’t need my advice anymore.”

She smiled encouragingly; an unexpectedly sweet gesture given the subject matter, and despite his anxiety Luke was once again enraptured by her beauty. “I see untapped strength in you, Luke — and I hope you appreciate how much effort it took me to make such a nerdy reference — so I’m going to try to bring it to the surface. You are going to be good at this.” She drew so close that her nipples bored into his chest and his erection prodded her tight stomach. It made him realize that she was just as turned on as he was. “You being in control is what she really wants. By the time it’s over, you’ll realize that it’s what you want as well.”

Luke let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing them into full-body contact for a moment before ending the hug. “You’re right that I wasn’t ready, and while you’re not the only person to suggest that I’m sexually dominant by nature — in fact, Kathryn’s one of the four who have — I’ve really never experienced it except in a playful but ultimately meaningless way, which is something I didn’t realize until I met her. I don’t necessarily share your confidence in my abilities, but I’m eager to learn, and I promise to follow your lead.” With a mysterious half-smile, he added, “And as for your wager, I already know what I want.”

“Already? Will I have to stock up on replacement blood supplies, learn how to ride a mule, or just cancel all my shoots for a few weeks?”

“All of that sounds intriguing, if disturbing, but no. Nothing like that. If she uses either safe word, I want you to go on a date with me.”

Faith was, it was immediately clear, legitimately and fundamentally rattled by his proposition. “A ... a date?”

“Yes, a date. It doesn’t have to lead to another, and it certainly doesn’t have to end in bed. In fact, it might be more interesting if it doesn’t. It obviously doesn’t have to be public, either, because this absolutely isn’t about wanting to be seen with you. We can sneak off to a place where we can rely on complete discretion. I have more than enough connections to make that happen, and I’m sure you do as well. I know you were expecting some sort of exotic deviancy, but since you’ve already admitted that you don’t have any limits, there’s nothing I could possibly propose that would catch you off guard. I think the concept of an actual, romantic, we’re-just-going-to-talk date unsettles you more than anything we could do while naked, and that’s why it’s my side of the wager.”

“But,” she whispered, quite obviously struggling with his unexpected demand, “what about Kathryn?”

“If we’re together, I guarantee no one will be more amused and delighted by the possibility. Especially after what you’re about to do to her. And if we’re not, then it doesn’t matter.”

Faith bit her lip, and Luke’s pride swelled with the evidence of his victory. I did it. She’s completely out of her element. I didn’t think it would be that easy, nor that this would be how I’d do it. “Damn you, Luke. I need to gather my energy and be confident enough to dominate your rather formidable lover, but you just reduced me to a shy and uncertain little girl.”

Taking a chance, he dipped his head and kissed her. To his surprise, she actually trembled when his lips met hers, as if she’d somehow never been kissed before. For a few moments her hands caressed the back of his neck, and then she retreated, looking a little guilty and a lot horny. “Just promise me you won’t take it easy on her so you don’t have to pay off the wager.”

Though her sexual heat clearly hadn’t diminished, she grinned. “You don’t have to worry about that. This wouldn’t be any fun at all if I didn’t break and redefine her limits. And if I lose the bet, then...” She grabbed his cock with a much gentler grip than she’d yet used and kissed him back. It was a kiss full of openness, tenderness, and promise. For the first time since her arrival, Luke truly felt like he was locking lips with a woman, rather than an impossible fantasy or a sexual persona. “Well, we’ll see what happens. Now, can I go have fun with your lover, or do you want to take a shot at me while I’m as vulnerable, curious, and aroused as I’ve been since I first started having sex?”

Luke just shook his head. “Nice try, but you’re not that vulnerable, and if we start having sex you won’t be vulnerable at all, because that’s your métier. Anyway, this is Kathryn’s time. Go give her your best.”

“You mean my worst,” she shot back with a beatific smile, planting yet another surprisingly sweet kiss on his lips, as if she couldn’t stop doing it. “But I need you to know that I wasn’t lying. Weak in the knees, frog in the throat, flutter in the heart, and ... well, look.” She reached between her legs and showed him the liquid evidence of her arousal, which, despite the brevity of her collection, was literally seeping down her outstretched fingers. “It’s been a very, very long time since someone made me feel that way with nothing more than words and a promise. Do you actually understand what you just did to me? And by the way, you’re quite wrong about my vulnerability. If you fucked me right now, you’d own a piece of me forever; a piece I’d never, ever be able to take back. But if you remember what I said about the night Alejandro and I became close friends, you’d know that not fucking me was the better choice. I’m extremely relieved that you didn’t, despite how much I want you to. And I’m especially grateful, because you’ve now earned all the encores you could ever want.”

His eyes bugged out at her offer, but she gave him one more surprisingly sweet kiss before continuing. “You’re a very special man, Luke. She deserves you. More importantly, you deserve her. Now, stop making me uncomfortable and even hornier than I already was. Let’s go visit unspeakably pleasurable horrors upon your lover.”

“How are you feeling, slut?”

“I’m at peace, Mistress, and eager to serve you.”

“Well, the first part will change soon enough. Did you hear what your lover and I were talking about?”

“No, Mistress.”

“Would it upset you to know that we had sex?”

“It’s not my place to have feelings about that, Mistress.”

Faith smiled. “Well-answered. We didn’t, by the way. I wanted to, but he didn’t. He was more interested in what I was going to do to you. Now, crawl to the foot of the bed. No, face the bed. Move back about six inches. Good.” Alejandro came closer, handing Faith an assortment of black leather items. “Luke, would you please help me restrain her?”

He was amazed at the contrast in her tone when she addressed Kathryn versus either of the men; she obviously had absolutely no trouble shifting in and out of her dominant role. He drew closer, crouching behind Kathryn, and saw that, for all her apparent stoicism, the soft flesh of her buttocks was mottled by goosebumps in a way he’d never seen before. He glanced a question at Faith, but she just smiled and handed him a pair of heavily padded cuffs.

“Handcuff her wrists, tighten the buckles until they’re really snug, then connect the hooks to the ring in the footboard.” Luke stared at the heavy metal ring that had heretofore escaped his notice. He couldn’t help but look around the room, and was shocked to see similar rings cleverly worked into almost every part of the room’s furniture and architecture. If he’d seen them at all, he’d obviously judged them merely decorative. Faith grinned as she slipped two more identical cuffs around Kathryn’s ankles. “Didn’t Alejandro tell you that I had a hand in the room’s design? Hard points everywhere.”

“He did, but...”

“She is far too modest. It was not only this room that she reconfigured.”

“Well, it’s convenient at certain kinds of parties.”

Suddenly, Luke had a shocking, yet unexpected titillating, vision of Kathryn restrained and helpless while dozens of guests milled around her, randomly touching, caressing, and probing her — or more — while she writhed and moaned.

“Luke,” Faith quietly scolded, albeit with a smile on her face, “I hope you never play poker, because I can tell exactly what you’re thinking. Yes, it’s everything you’re imagining and so incredibly hot. She would love every minute of it. And who knows? Play your cards right and I’ll ask Alejandro to invite you two some night when I’m on the menu. Now, would you please finish with those handcuffs? If we wait too long, we risk her falling out of submission, and then this all becomes pointless.” He hurriedly tightened the cuffs around her wrists — looking for but receiving no indication that she was in distress — then affixed them to the aforementioned ring, sitting back to admire his handiwork. He noted, and filed away for later consideration, that while she placidly submitted to everything Faith was doing, she flinched every time he touched her. Does that mean what we’re doing is more, or less, welcome when it’s coming from me? Or is it that she’s not supposed to be submitting to me yet? Maybe I’m radiating too much comfort and concern at a time when she needs to be in a completely different headspace? I have so much to learn.

While he was completing his task, Faith attached a long spreader bar to the ankle cuffs, opening Kathryn’s legs so that both her holes were fully exposed. Next came a thick blindfold, which required a fair bit of effort to slide beneath Kathryn’s tangled mane.

“Unfortunately, we can’t punish this lovely posterior the way this brazen slut so richly deserves.” Faith was back to her domme voice. “But I think we can make you uncomfortable in other ways. Slut, do you agree that you deserve a punishment for greedily monopolizing the sexual attention of so many boys?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Kathryn’s voice was breathy, sultry, and turning Luke on to a degree he wasn’t entirely prepared for. He also saw the small quake that ran through her body every time Faith called her a slut.

“Do you want to tell us all the bad things you’ve done, slut?”

“No, Mistress.” As one of the potential answers, Luke was grateful that Faith didn’t push the point. From a box proffered by Alejandro, Faith selected a pair of adjustable clamps and attached them to Kathryn’s nipples. She moaned and hissed in pain as Faith tightened their adjustable screws. When the hiss turned to a high-pitched squeal, she stopped. Kathryn’s body was rocking back and forth as if she was being impaled by someone.

“Are you already trying to come, slut?”

“Yes, Mistress. I feel so helpless and exposed. May I please come?”

“No, you may not. Your orgasm, if you ever actually earn one, is a very, very long way off.” Reaching back into the box while the redhead moaned in protest, she retrieved a trio of clover clamps. “Do you know how to use these?” she asked Lake.

“Yes, but where... ?”

“One on each of her labial folds. Make sure you seat them high enough. Grab a big chunk of flesh or they’ll slip right off, though as wet as she is that’s a possibility anyway. The third is for her clit, and the same advice applies, but you might have to be creative as I think you’re going to have a hard time getting it to stay attached.”

“Are you serious?” he whispered, distressed.

“Luke, trust me. This is nothing. She can handle so much more. I tightened those nipple clamps to the point where even I’d be suffering, but once I stopped she just absorbed the pain as if it was inconsequential. We’re not going to be able to test my theory today, but it’s possible she could take as much as me and still be fine. Remember what I said a few minutes ago: you have to separate your love from her needs.”

“Now, listen closely: I’m teaching you ways to give her the sort of pain she craves without leaving bruises or marks. You’re watching her, I’m watching her, and though you obviously haven’t been paying much attention to him, Alejandro is watching her like an overprotective hawk. He has a lot of experience with me and a few other like-minded pain-loving submissives, and will know, perhaps even before she does, if it’s too much. But this is what she’s looking for and what she needs, and if you follow along and join in as I ask you to, you’re going to learn a lot about how much she can actually take. No, not just take; enjoy.”

Ignoring his overwhelmed expression, she returned her attention to Kathryn. “Your beloved Luke — the one you trust so much, the one who’s always so kind and caring — is about to attach three extremely painful clamps to your slutty cunt. It’s not going to be easy, because you’re gushing like a whore, so I just wanted you to know that he’s fully committed to your defilement, and that a great deal of the agony you’re about to feel is because he wanted you to feel it.”

There was a long and silent pause. Then, to Luke’s astonishment, Kathryn suddenly wailed, “Yes, yes, please! Let him do whatever he wants, Mistress. I want him to hurt me. I need it, I need it, I need it...” Her pleas trailed off into incoherence. Faith just smiled as Luke numbly approached the woman he loved, stunned at what he was hearing, and berating himself for what he was about to do.

The clamps destined for her labia were, despite her copious lubrication, fairly easy to affix. The clitoral clamp was a different matter, and he eventually had to resort to gripping the swollen bud between his fingers and stretching it outward to seat the clamp. Though she howled in pain when he did so, no safe words passed her lips. Meanwhile, Faith was attaching heavy leaden balls to the chains dangling from Kathryn’s nipple clamps. The redhead was still whimpering from the additional strain as she handed three smaller versions to Luke. Her sobs of misery as he attached them to each of the clamps for which he’d been responsible — and because they were clover clamps, they bit into her vulnerable flesh even harder as he added more weight — were extremely difficult for him to hear, yet the sound of her breathing and the flood of arousal from her pussy assured him that this was turning her on to an almost unfathomable degree.

Faith watched as Kathryn struggled to manage her new equilibrium. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Do you want more?”

“No, Mistress.”

“If I decide that you deserve more, can you handle it?”

After a brief pause, she answered, “Yes, Mistress.”

“Thank you for being honest. You’ve been obedient, and for now I won’t change anything, but I might later. Do you still need to come?”

“Please, please, please, Mistress, let me come.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh god... “ she whispered.

“While appreciated, that’s not how you’re supposed to address me, slut. It didn’t take very long, but now you’ve earned yourself an additional punishment.”

“Please, Mistress...” She was squirming and wiggling, not so much against her bonds as against the urge to climax. The weights swung back and forth, pulling and tugging at the clamps torturing her most sensitive spots.

“Please yes, or please no?”

This pause was longer. “Please yes, Mistress.” It was another mere whisper, but Faith was delighted, and (judging by the way her nostrils flared) aroused at her response. Luke grabbed her wrist to get her attention.

“What if she does come without permission?” he demanded.

Rather than answering him, Faith raised her voice. “Slut, your lover wants to know what happens if you come without permission. Would you like to know as well?”

“No, Mistress.” She sounded miserable, and Luke wondered if she guessed what the answer would be.

“Really? Why not?”

“Because it doesn’t matter, Mistress. The only thing that matters is that I comply with your instructions.”

“Well done. But I think you should know, and as it’s another part of your punishment I’m going to tell you. You’re not going to like it, though. If you come without permission, you’ll spend the rest of the day chained to a ring just like you are now, but it will be on the other side of the room. Meanwhile, Luke, Alejandro, and I will have hours upon hours of sex right in front of you, in every conceivable position and combination, while you’re unable to do anything but watch. All those times you hoped Alejandro would be your ass today? He’ll be in mine. So will Luke. All that cum you wanted to swallow? Every drop of it for me. You wanted them to DP you again? I’ll be the delicious filling in their sandwich for hour after hour after hour, and I’ll make sure you hear every every single orgasm these magnificent sex machines give me. But you won’t be able to touch yourself, nor will anyone else touch you until you’re ready to leave the apartment and go home. Now, slut, do you still want to come?”

An explosion of tears immediately burst forth. Having heard her cry more times than he liked to admit, Luke knew these sobs weren’t feigned. “Oh please, no ... god, please no, no, no, Mistress ... I promise I won’t...”

“You’re right. You won’t. You’ve already been warned once, and you won’t get another chance.” Faith casually added a few more weights to the chains hanging from Kathryn’s nipples. Her strangled screams as they dropped into place filled the room. She asked for it, Luke thought, trying to convince himself despite the urge to intervene and bring an end to her suffering, and in some sense she must have have wanted it, but it’s very difficult to see her like this.

The squealing and whimpering continued. Faith glanced at Alejandro. Like a nurse handing a surgeon a scalpel he reached into the box again. “You know, I’m already tired of listening to you whine. Remember: three or five strikes.” Gesturing for Luke to hold her hair back, she wrapped a gag around Kathryn’s neck, shoving the large red ball into her mouth and tightening the straps.

Kathryn was already drooling even before the ball entered her mouth, but the fluid issuing from her lips was nothing compared to that flowing from her cunt. Despite her obvious distress, it was clear that she was as turned on as ever.

“Now, I’m going to ask again: do you still want to come, slut?”

“Nm, Mphmph!”

“That’s what I thought.”