A Divine Life (The Divine Trilogy) (6 page)

No. Master didn
’t do personal relationships. He’d said as much when they’d first signed their contract together. They’d both agreed to the understanding that this was nothing more than a sexual relationship. Hell, he was fucking two other people besides her that she knew of. If there were a chance that he wanted something more with her, he wouldn’t have handed her over to complete strangers today.
Would he? Oh, God.
Sir Jonathan’s offer to take Catherine on repeated itself in her memory, along with the knowledge that she had more sessions today with an unknown number of Doms. Was that what today was? Had the ‘inspection’ Sir Jonathan performed not been part of the scene? Was Sir Jonathan looking her over as a potential acquisition? What about Miss K offering to take her on back in February? Catherine’s stomach soured again.

“
No. No, please, no. I—I can’t,” Catherine mumbled and began to shake.

“
Erin?”

Her world
began crumbling around her, and panic took root. Catherine gasped for air, wrapping her arms around her mid-section.

“
Erin! What’s wrong?”

Paige
’s shriek snapped Catherine to attention, and she raised her watery eyes to meet her new friend’s.

“
Paige,” Catherine started to cry. “He figured it out. I tried to be so good, so careful. He knows, and he’s going to get rid of me!” She thought she’d done so well at hiding her secret over the months, protecting her heart.

Paige had wrapped her arm around Catherine and was rubbing slow circles on her back. With a wince
, Catherine became quite aware of every lash mark from Sir Jonathan’s whip. They now burned to her core when Paige’s soft hands brushed over them. Catherine flinched away from her.

“
Shh, Erin,” she said in a calming voice. “Who knows what, sweetie? What are you talking about?”

Turning wide eyes on her
, Catherine choked out, “Jay . . . Master. He knows I’ve fallen in—in love with him. I wasn’t supposed to. He found out, and now he’s interviewing me with strange Doms to get rid of me. I broke the rules and he—” she swallowed a sob, “he doesn’t want me anymore!”

Warm arms embraced her.
“Oh, Erin, sweetie, you’ve got it all wrong. He doesn’t want to get rid of you. I’ve never seen a Master so enamored of his submissive as Sir Jayden is with you.”

“
But—” Catherine started to argue. Her gut was telling her that
she
was right, not Paige. Master had taken her pearl collar this morning and labeled her a slut. She now assumed she was to be auctioned off like cattle.

“
No ‘buts,’ Erin. You have to believe me. I know
this is all going to work out for you,” Paige said with affirmation.

Oh
, how Catherine wanted to believe Paige, but in her mind she scoffed. Of course Paige thought it was all going to be fine. She had her fairytale: a Master and a life partner in one. Arguing with her would be pointless. Sad resolution became Catherine’s bedfellow when she came to what she felt was the right decision in her mind. No matter what, Catherine knew she’d always love Master, and because of that, she’d see the day out so that he wouldn’t be embarrassed by her behavior in front of his peers. However, when Master made the move to take her collar, she would just beat him to it. She would claim they needed to end their contract for personal reasons, and then try to walk out with her head held high. It would hurt less if Catherine were the one to leave.

Yeah
, keep telling yourself that, Erin
.

Straightening her back
, Catherine looked up at Paige and managed a weak but determined smile. “If you say so. I’ll have to trust you for now,” she mumbled, while fingering the braided slut collar around her neck.

Paige
’s mouth curled up at the edges. “That’s the spirit, Erin! Have faith in your Master to do right by you.”

Sure
, faith that he’ll pass you to a capable new Master.

Catherine wanted to reach into her head and strangle that inner voice that didn
’t know when to shut up.

“
Come on, sweetie, between the massage oil and the by-product of the antacid you’re a mess. Let’s get you cleaned up and ready for your next session.” The mischievous glint was back in her eye.

“
Paige, do you know what I’m doing next?” Catherine was more than ready to be done with the surprises; ready to call this day quits and crawl into the solitude of her room to cry for her broken heart in peace.

Grabbing her hand
, Paige helped her off the table. “Yes. I do. And no, I’m not telling. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, now would we?”

Oh
, no. Why would we want to do something like that?

Together
, they walked to the bathroom, Paige leading the way. “Go ahead and use the toilet while I get the water going.”

“
I can do that, Paige. You don’t need to, promise, and the privacy would be nice.” She was fighting not to sound frustrated.

“
Sorry, Erin, but it’s a direct order from my Master. I’m supposed to make sure you empty and then see to your grooming.”

Catherine sighed in compliance and went to sit down on the toilet.

“Oh, just a minute. I almost forgot.” Paige slapped the side of her head in a ‘duh’ gesture. “Can you lean over that counter? Go ahead and put your elbows on the edge and rest your forehead on your hands. This isn’t the best feeling, but it is required by my Master.”

Again Catherine complied
, closing her eyes while she listened to Paige open a cupboard and move around.

“
Okay, all ready. Widen your stance a little.”

Her
butt cheeks were pulled apart, and then something thin and hard slid in, making her clench in surprise.

“
Doing good, Erin, but I need you to relax and try not to resist the intrusion,” Paige instructed, while Catherine felt her bowels filling with something warm and wet.

“
Paige! What the hell?” Catherine barked and tried to straighten up.

“
Catherine, resume your position. Now,” a male voice commanded from the doorway.

“Samantha,”
Jayden started
in a firm tone, but then paused.

She knew she was required to present herself
at Jayden’s request when in his office. Samantha was aware that when her skirt was raised, he was to see bare skin at the apex of her legs. When her blouse was open, Jayden should see her dark brown nipples pointing at him off the tips of her little B-cup titties.

Did she want to be punished?
The psyche of most submissives not only wanted, but needed—no,
required
punishment in addition to pleasure. The very act of correcting a sub let them know that their Dom cared and was paying attention to their every action, silent or otherwise.

His next thought brought him to the
realization that he had been failing Samantha in this regard since his feelings for Catherine had become more than Master and submissive. Disheartened, Jayden saw that he’d been using Samantha as nothing more than a common whore to get his jollies while he’d failed her as a Dom.

After t
aking a deep breath to steady his voice, Jayden started again. “Samantha, do you want to be punished?”

The look she bestowed on him was direct and pleading
, while a tear fell from the corner of her eye. “Yes. Please, Sir.”

Well
, hell. Sometimes I hate being right.

“
Very well, kitten.” He used her pet name to let her know that he was no longer angry with her; that he’d acknowledged his transgression. Opening the top drawer of his desk, Jayden punched in the code on the hidden compartment, from which he pulled out a key. Rising from his seat, he directed her, “Follow me.”

They
traveled the distance of the room to a wooden door at the back of Jayden’s office. It was no different from any of the other doors except that it was locked, and no one but Jayden and Samantha had access to the keys. This room was not on the security camera grid for the building.

The door
made no noise when Jayden pushed it open and waved her inside. “Standing ready position, Samantha.”

Jayden
watched her take position in the center of his playroom. The walls were a deep green, and the furniture was mahogany: sturdy, thick pieces with hints of burgundy in the grain. There were no windows. While the décor was similar to Jayden’s home playroom, this one was not as elaborate, housing just the basics.

Unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it from his shoulders
, Jayden told Samantha to remove her tattered blouse and skirt. After closing the door, Jayden hung his shirt from a hook on the back before slipping his shoes off to set them against the baseboards with neat precision. When he turned back around, Samantha was standing in her bra, panties, garter belt, and thigh-highs.

What he was about to do wasn
’t something normal, but Jayden knew he needed to forge ahead for both of them. He walked over to the toy cupboard and threw open the doors. Perusing his options, he chose a riding crop with a large paddle tip because it would hurt less than the crops with the small ones. Those always delivered a stinging pop that lasted a while. His goal was not to hurt Samantha, but to correct her indiscretions. For a minute, he considered taking out her temporary collar and placing her in it, but he decided against it in light of what would be happening later. Before returning to her, Jayden also slipped the emergency knife from his first aid kit into his pocket.

His resolve
carried him forward to begin. Moving behind Samantha, Jayden administered a few light smacks to the backs of her thighs and outthrust elbows with the crop.

She trembled.

“Tell me, my kitten. Why am I about to darken your skin instead of licking your slit until you are creamy and ready for me to fuck until you come on my cock?” Jayden inquired while working his crop around the front of her body, continuing to apply light smacks against her hips, thighs, and stomach. When her mouth opened to answer, he stepped back to give Samantha his full attention.

In a shaky
, quiet voice, she replied, “Your submissive is to present a naked cunt when her skirt is raised, Sir.”

Jayden let the crop snap out and thwack against her
satin-covered pussy.

A
soft whimper escaped her lips.

“
Continue,” he commanded.

“
Your submissive is also to present bare tits with erect nipples at Sir’s request.” The last word became garbled when his crop snapped against each of her tits in rapid succession.

A return trip to the cupboard
had him selecting two more toys. Glancing at his watch, Jayden noted that he had plenty of time to issue a thorough punishment before moving ahead with his original plans for Samantha. He laid the new toys onto the rolling cart he kept on hand, grabbed one more thing from the drawer and slipped it into his other pocket before he returned to Samantha.

“
Kitten, I will admit that I’ve not been attending to your needs. This has been an oversight on my part, and we’ll discuss the reason in depth at the end of our time today—though I’d hazard a guess you already know why. In acknowledgement of my error, I will allow you to choose your punishment tool,” he offered in concession while nodding at the cart.

Her
icy-blue eyes looked over the display: the crop that he’d already used on her, the suede flogger with its knotted ends, and the large wooden paddle with holes drilled into it. The last was his preferred tool for punishment, and Samantha had never felt its bite.

“
If it pleases you, Sir, this girl would like the flogger, please.” Her voice was steady and sure.

“
Admirable choice, kitten, but first, a few wardrobe adjustments are in order,” Jayden declared, stepping toward her while pulling the knife out of his pocket. Her audible gasp made him stop and look at her. “Shh . . . I’m not going to hurt you. Much.”

Trailing
the knife point across the tops of her breasts, Jayden slid the blade under one of her bra straps, and with a flick of his wrist the honed edge sliced through it. The other strap was soon cut as well. Jayden ran the knife through the pretty bow sitting between her tits, and what remained of her bra fell to the floor. He was pleased to see her nipples engorged and solid, pointing out into the room. Next, he dragged the knife down Samantha’s stomach, leaving a white line in its wake that became a raised, pink welt when the blood pooled just beneath the surface of her skin. Two swift cuts through the sides of her panties, and he watched them join the ruined bra on the floor.

Taking a step back to assess his handiwork
, Jayden could see the dew already gathering on her exposed cunt. His knees folded under him, and he knelt down. Placing the knife next to his foot and out of the way of a potential accident, he then used both hands to pull her pussy lips apart. With a mind of its own, Jayden’s tongue snaked out to take a long, slow lick up her slit, swirling around her clit.

The soft sigh of pleasure above him
prompted Jayden to remove his mouth and hands and to collect the knife and return it to the cart.

“
Are you wearing your plug like you’re supposed to be when I call you in for ‘special meetings,’ or did you forget that rule, too?” Jayden asked her with a cocked eyebrow.

“
No. No, Sir, this girl didn’t forget. It’s in place,” she whispered.

“
Show me.”

Samantha turned around and grabbed her ass cheeks while she bent forward
, pulling herself open for his perusal. There, nestled inside her tight hole, was the clear base of the anal plug he’d bought for her early in their relationship.

“
Very good; that will stay in during your flogging. Now,” Jayden grabbed one of her tits and mounded it up, pushing the nipple out further, “take a deep breath for me.” With his free hand, he slipped a nipple clamp out of his pocket and soon had it secured on her. “Exhale, and breathe.”

Keening whimpers fell from Samantha
’s mouth, but Jayden ignored them. He knew she hated the clamps. However, this was punishment, and she’d given him the okay in the past to use them as he saw fit.

“
Again; deep breath,” Jayden ordered and affixed the other clamp. “You decided your nipples needed to be hidden from me; therefore I will keep them covered.”

“
Yes, Sir.” Her short answer was pitiful and laced with shame.

“
To the cross. Face down.”

Giving her a minute to carry out his instructions
, he followed her over to the St. Andrew’s cross in the corner of the room. Observing Samantha while she got into position, Jayden made note of two things: her clamped nubs were going to press into the wood – but that would hurt less than her lying face up so that he had access to them with the flogger – and two, her backside was calling to him in more ways than one. He couldn’t wait to lay into it first with his suede, and then with his shaft.

Samantha placed her outstretched arms against the
upper rungs of the cross, and Jayden buckled them into place with the attached leather straps. A low whistle sounded through her clenched teeth when her tits pressed into the wood, but he ignored her, choosing not to comment. Instead, he reached down to release the catch at the bottom of the cross that would allow him to spread her legs, and then buckled her ankles in before pushing them apart. When he was finished, she was bound in an X.

“
Twenty lashes, Samantha. For your insubordination, and,” Jayden laughed, “because you want it. Don’t you, kitten?”

“
If it pleases you, Sir, this girl would be most appreciative.”

“
You will count the lashes out, and thank me for each one.” Remembering how turned on he got watching Jonathan have Catherine kiss the whip handle, Jayden presented the handle of the flogger to Samantha’s lips for her to do the same.

Holding the handle in his right hand
, Jayden gathered the tails of the flogger in his left and raised both arms. Bringing them down, he released the tails about a foot away from her body to watch them fan out as they lashed across her right thigh.

“
One, Sir. Thank you.” She groaned.

Jayden gathered the tails up again and released them across her
left thigh with the next swing.

“
Ugh—two, Sir. Thank you.”

For the third swing
, he let the gathered tails land with a solid thud over the center of Samantha’s ass, knowing the impact would jar the plug.

“
Oh, God. Three, Sir. Th-thank you.”

Jayden was calm and controlled while he concentrated on the task before him. Letting her body absorb each impact before he flogged her again was paramount.
He was in perfect control while he centered his lashes on her buttocks and upper thighs. The heat would build faster in this manner, but this wasn’t for her pleasure. As the Dom worked, every third hit landed over the plug, jarring it. The messier her counting became, the more his cock swelled while she endured the pain he was bestowing upon her.

“
Ow! Twelve, S-sir, th-thank you.” By now her shaky words were laced with sniffles, betraying the tears that were escaping.

The loud thwack of the flogger connecting with her skin reverberated in the room.

“Shit! Thirteen, Sir. Thank you.”

Thwack!
He swung again and waited for her count.

“
Fuc-fourteen, Sir. Thank you.”

The next two swings landed on the soles of Samantha
’s feet to disrupt her expectations. Two more hit her ass cheeks. Jayden focused the last two lashes over the plug, harder than any one preceding it.

“
Oh, my, fuck! Ni-nineteen, Sir. Thank you!” Her breath was coming in pants and gasps. “Twenty, Sir. Thank you.” Samantha whimpered her final thanks, and her body slumped against the wood.

Moving with urgency
, Jayden returned the flogger to its spot in the cupboard, and then released Samantha from the leather cuffs. After he helped her stand and take a step back, he noticed the leather wrapped wood was wet where her body had leaked fluids during her flogging.

“
Well, well,” Jayden taunted while reaching down to stroke her dripping cunt. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

In response
, Samantha moaned and ground herself against his hand. “This girl did. Thank you very much, Sir.”

“
Come, kitten. I want you to lie down on the bed so I can soothe your ache.”

Once Jayden
had made sure Samantha was lying on the soft mattress, he retrieved the special lotion that he’d started having made because of Catherine’s fair skin. She bruised with ease. Similar to arnica cream, but with a pleasant floral scent, the handcrafted cream contained herbal oils and extracts that would prevent bruising and soothe any lingering sting. He climbed up next to Samantha and started massaging the cream into her shoulders. Working his way down, Jayden was sure to cover every area where the flogger had made contact.