A Real Page Turner (13 page)

He stroked her hair, and she knew most of those gathered would think he was comforting her, or telling her she was going to get more later, when they were at home.

April lifted her gaze over Titan’s left shoulder. It didn’t take her long to see what he’d been talking about. The blond from the store was there, wearing a leather vest and leather pants. His well-toned body was displayed magnificently in his outfit.

He had two leashes in his hand, one that led to a man, the other to a woman. Neither of them wore masks, and they were much older than the blond, at least twenty years, April would say.

The blond smirked at her, as if to say he could have done a better job than Titan. He didn’t speak, though. After a few moments he yanked on the leashes. The man and woman dropped to their knees and he walked them toward the back exit, the door April knew led to the place where the ‘harder’ things took place.

April whipped her head around so fast she thought she might get whiplash. But although she got a good view of the back of the man’s head, she couldn’t tell if he was the man she’d seen with Virginia that night at Charlie’s.

Threadway would be disappointed, she knew, but she hadn’t been telling him a lie when she said she’d be unable to identify the man she’d only seen from behind. Who could, she wondered.

April kept her gaze on the back door, through which the man had already disappeared. She wanted to follow, see if he was going to the other place, or if he was leaving. Perhaps his car was parked in that area. She didn’t know enough about the layout here to know what was what.

When it became obvious he wasn’t going to appear again, she turned her attention to Titan. He was talking to the man who had offered his chair. She struggled for a few moments before she remembered the man’s name was Clive. She wasn’t really listening to their conversation, and when Titan tugged, not too gently, on her leash, she said, “Ouch.”

“Watch it,” Titan said, “or you’ll end up over the chair again.”

“I’m sorry, Sir,” April said, looking down.

“Better.” Titan tugged again. “But I think we’re going back upstairs where you and I can have a chat in private.”

Titan said goodbye to Clive before he lead her to the stairs. They went to the room where they’d left Dex and Threadway. The men were talking, but the conversation stopped when Titan and April entered the room.

When April explained that she didn’t know if the blond was the man at Charlie’s, but that he was the man who had come into her shop, Threadway sighed in exasperation.

“It’s hard to distinguish people from behind, detective,” April said. “I can say the hair looks the same cut and color, and the build is similar, but, I couldn’t swear in court that he was the man I saw.”

For a minute, April thought Threadway was going to argue with her. Instead, he shook his head. “If charges were ever brought against him in this case, his lawyer would tear you apart on the stand for the same reason. I’m going to have to bring him in, but I’m not sure why yet. He hasn’t done anything that I could question him for. I’m going to need to think.”

Wanting to continue the conversation while Threadway was forthcoming, April asked, “Where is your partner? He hasn’t been around lately.”

“He went to Montana to the service for Virginia. Lots of times, murderers attend so they can either gloat that they’re getting away with it, or silently say goodbye if, for instance, it was an accident.”

Titan spoke first. “Do you think it was an accident?”

“No,” Threadway replied. “I think someone went over there with the express purpose of killing her. I just can’t figure out why.”

“He went to the—I’m not sure what to call it—rough room?” April said.

Dex laughed. “It’s a private room, yes. You have to have an invitation to get in there.”

“They’d turn us away?” Titan asked.

“Oh yes,” Dex replied. “Most of the people in there know each other very well and many of them go without masks. They are very selective about who they let inside.”

“I take it the interview includes more than a spanking.”

Dex shrugged, and April thought he was a little embarrassed. After all, the promo for this had labeled it a spanking party. He didn’t want to admit there was a BDSM orgy going on just steps from the house.

There was a strained silence before Dex said, “Do I get to spank her?”

“No,” Titan said. “You pissed me off when you blindsided me.”

Dex shrugged, and gave them a good-natured smile. “Sorry about that.”

Titan nodded, but April had the feeling he wasn’t quite ready to accept the man’s apology. “We’re going back downstairs,” her lover said. “We might watch a little, or even participate a little, but I don’t think we’ll stay much longer, since we can’t get into the other room.”

April glanced at Threadway. “You will keep me informed, won’t you?”

For a minute, she thought he’d say no. “Well, as I said, I’m not in the habit of telling civilians about my cases, but you helped me tonight, so yes, I will tell you if anything comes up.”

“Thank you.”

Dex shook Titan’s hand. “Stay up here and have a little fun, if you like. There’s a bondage wheel in the closet over there that will fit April just fine. And if you’d like an audience, I’m game.”

April opened her mouth to say she’d already been spanked enough tonight, but before she could say anything, Titan voiced that fact.

“The wheel works both ways,” Dex said. “It’s the perfect piece of equipment for a pussy spanking. You can lay it flat so that she’s on her back.”

This time, a small gasp escaped her mouth. She looked at Titan, who was grinning like a cat who had been offered cream. “Let’s bring it out,” he said. “I’d like to see what it looks like.”

“Um,” she said, but her word fell on deaf ears. The three men were walking toward the closet. She was a little curious herself, but she didn’t really like the idea of having her pussy spanked in front of Threadway and Poindexter.

Her objections wouldn’t have changed the situation. The three men were pulling the wheel from a large closet. It was made of wood and webbing. Dex was showing Titan how it worked. They would strap it to her first, and then twist the gears until she was flat on her back.

“I have a tawse that I use for pussy spankings,” Dex said. “It leaves beautiful marks. Afterward I cool my ladies down with a flogger. The strands find their way into wet flesh, and my sweet subs usually come, flying into sub space.”

April couldn’t tell if he was bragging, or giving Titan advice.

“So much for no sex, huh?” Titan said with a laugh.

“We’re in a private room,” Dex said. “I’d love to see her come.”

Titan was looking at her now, the gleam in his eyes very expressive. April knew that, if she said no, he would do as she asked. Instead, she nodded her head ever so slightly.

Tonight was a night of firsts. The first time she’d been asked by a cop to identify a suspect in a murder case. Her first public spanking in front of people she’d never met. And now, now, her first pussy spanking in front of two men that she knew wanted to spank her.

April hoped Titan wouldn’t let them. No, not hoped. She knew he wouldn’t. Tonight he would be wielding the only instruments to touch her body. They’d moved the wheel to the middle of the room. When it was in place, Titan and Dex went to the wall of instruments, as she’d come to think of it. Some of the items hanging there looked positively lethal, and she’d never been spanked with a tawse before. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

“You know, I wish I’d met you before him.”

She looked at Threadway, who was studying her intently. “But how would that happen, Detective? I would think your superior officers would frown upon you spanking a murder suspect.”

The grin he gave her told her he would have found a way around such a rule, and she was sure one existed.

“I’m happy with what I’ve found,” she said. But even as she thought it, she once again felt a little guilty about Tom, the man who had provided her with some very wonderful spankings, whom she had not allowed to touch her in any other way.

“I can see that,” Threadway said. “But still, the offer stands if things fall apart. You can call me.”

“I have your number, and I know where you work,” she said with a laugh.

“I’ll hide the important documents before you come into the building,” he said sardonically.

“Words like that make me think you don’t trust me,” she said. “Hurts my feelings. We couldn’t have a relationship without trust, Officer.”

Threadway didn’t answer her. Instead he turned to where Titan and Dex were approaching. Titan had two objects in his hand, one a strap of leather that was cut into two at the end. It looked thick and stiff, and April wondered what it would feel like coming down on her soft flesh. Would it make her wet? Or would she cry out for him to stop?

Something told her the rivers inside her would flow the minute the leather kissed her pussy.

The other implement was the flogger Titan had selected earlier that
evening, before Threadway had appeared and stopped what she thought was going to be her first ever double spanking.

The seductive look on Titan’s face made her clit twitch. “Let’s strap her down and get going,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how she reacts to this.”

Binding her to the wheel didn’t take very long. It was intensely erotic, though, having three men work on securing her wrists and ankles. She was still clothed, and she wasn’t sure how Titan was going to get the flimsy material off her. Her ass, which had been spanked more in the last week than she had been in a year, ached as it rested on the webbing.

When her wrists and ankles were tied, Dex started to turn a lever. The wheel moved, and the motion, although slow, made April’s nerves tingle. When she was flat on her back staring at the ceiling, she wondered what she looked like. Why didn’t they have mirrors in this room so the sub could see what they looked like? Not a question that came up a lot, she supposed.

“How are you feeling?” Titan asked her.

“Nervous, but excited,” she said. “And, truthfully, very glad you’re not going to spank my ass. I’m too sore for another whipping.”

Titan stroked the back of his hand over her cheek, and April closed her eyes and savored the feel of his skin against hers. The one gentle movement reminded her that she could trust him, that he would make sure she wasn’t harmed.

“I’m out of here,” Threadway said, and she opened her eyes and looked to where he was striding toward the door.

“What?” Dex sounded as confused as April felt.

“I want to stay and watch,” the officer said, “but the truth is she’s involved in a case I’m investigating. I’d be breaking several departmental policies if I stayed any longer than I have.”

“No one has to know,” Dex said.

April wasn’t surprised when Threadway turned his head toward them when he was at the door. “I’ll know. It’s not right for me to be here. The three of you have fun.”

He exited the room so quickly that April wondered if he was thinking about changing his mind. Maybe if he walked out slowly, he would turn around. When he was gone, she looked at Titan.

“He’s right,” her lover said. “You’d be embarrassed every time he saw you after this, and there is the little matter of a murder, and a court case if it goes that far. This could go on for a while.”

April nodded, and Titan frowned. “Are you disappointed he left?”

“No,” she said, truthfully. Then she shrugged. “I guess I had hoped it would be a little harder for him to resist.”

Titan laughed, and she wondered why. Now wasn’t the time to ask, though. He held the leather in front of her face.

“This tawse is thinner than the usual ones,” Dex said. “I had it specially made for pussy spankings. It’s also got a longer handle, perfect for use in items such as the wheel. Titan, if you’d rather I left, I can.”

“No,” Titan responded. “I don’t plan on this being a long spanking, and I think having an audience will make it more pleasurable for her.”

Would it, she wondered? She knew the answer before she’d processed the question. Yes, it would.

“Plus, you and I had planned on something like this. I think it’s only fair that we follow through.”

“What would be fair would be me joining in,” Dex said with a laugh. “But I’ll settle for being a spectator for now.”

A soft moan escaped her lips as Titan placed the tawse across her chest. He put his hand on the elastic of the pantalets and tugged. In her position, the material didn’t go down very far.

“What the hell?” she heard Titan say
after a few moments. He gripped the material and ripped.

“What am I supposed to wear out of here?” She heard herself say. The sensual spell that had been settling over her was broken.

“I’m not worried about that right now,” Titan said. “Not one more word.”

He picked up the tawse and rubbed it
across her breasts. April forgot about her ripped pants. Soft gasps escaped her lips. This evening was not turning out the way she thought it would.

Titan trailed the tawse down her body. April started to wiggle against her bonds, not because she wanted out, but because she hoped it would kick Titan into gear. She wanted him to hurry up, spank her pussy and make her come. She wanted to scream so loud that half the people downstairs would hear and come up and walk into the room to see what was happening.

That would be something different, something outside the box. It was so different for her that it shocked her that she’d fantasized about it. Was it Titan’s influence that put such thoughts in her head? She certainly hoped so.

“She’s not even paying attention to what’s happening,” Titan said. “She’s already floating above the wheel, and I haven’t even touched her yet.”

Was there a touch of pride in his voice? She was pretty sure that’s what she heard.

“Close your eyes and keep them that way,” he commanded. April did as he
asked, ready to take what he would give her. She knew Titan well enough to know he would start with caresses, rubbing the leather against her soft, bare flesh.

But he surprised her. The first strike was hard, the leather slapping against her pussy so hard that she did scream. The second one quickly followed.
And then the third.

“Yes, yes,” April said as she wiggled her hips as much as she could. The movement pressed her tender ass against the webbing. Another strike, another
wiggle, and more pleasure snaked through her.

It wasn’t until he’d slapped the tawse against her nine times that she realized how close she was to the edge. Her nipples tingled, and her clit tightened.

“Titan,” she whispered. She was sure he knew how close she was, because he didn’t slap her pussy again. Instead he rubbed the leather against her swollen mound.

“I think she likes it,” he said, as if he’d just discovered a diamond mine. “I’m going to have to get the name of the person who made this for you, Dex.”

“He’s downstairs right now,” Dex said. “Would you like to leave her to wait for a few minutes while I go and get him?”

“No.” She heard herself say. “Don’t leave me.”

Her nerves were on edge, but she heard Titan say he would like to meet the man, but not right now.

He slapped the leather against her once, twice, three more times. Each one was measured, and hard. And then the rhythm changed. The leather came down harder, and faster. One time it slipped inside her wet lips and April cried out. He slapped her again, and this time the impact sent her over the edge.

“Titan,” she yelled, her hips bucking as her orgasm took over. He continued to spank her, but he hadn’t changed to the flogger. Instead he continued to use the tawse, and April felt a second orgasm build inside her. The first one had barely run its course when the dam burst again.

By the time the floods had overtaken her, her body shook like a leaf. There was no pain on her pussy. Titan was stroking her forehead, his voice soft as he whispered for her to relax, that he would take care of her.

“More?” She heard herself say.

His chuckle was even. “Not tonight, sweet one. But I do promise you, I will get one of these, and we’ll make regular use of it. Would you like that?”

“Yes.” He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes. She would like that a great deal.

***

A few moments later, they were alone in the room while Dex went to look for something she could wear out of the building. Titan hadn’t released her before their host left. When he was gone, he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

“I think I’m going to have to get one of these for the house,” he whispered against her ear.

“Not sure I could take it too much,” she answered.

“It will be a treat.” He kissed her neck. He nuzzled her for a few more moments before he went to the lever and cranked. The world seemed to turn as the wheel moved, bringing April into an upright position.

After it was locked in place, Titan undid her bonds, feet first. When he released her wrists, he stood in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her legs were like jelly, and she held him tight.

“I’m going to have to remember to thank Tom for introducing me to you,” he said.

“Tell him the same thing for me when you do,” she said with a smile. She wanted to say more, ask him where they were going from here, but the door opened and Dex entered.

He had a pair of what looked to be sweatpants in his hand. “One of the girls had these in her car,” he said. “I think they’ll fit. And she said you could keep them.”

April thanked him. She felt a little shy around him, which was strange, considering the fact that he’d seen her spanked twice in the last few days.

“I hope the two of you will consider joining us on a regular basis,” he said as Titan took the clothing and passed it to April.

“We just might do that,” Titan answered. “Let us discuss what happened tonight, and see where we are. I have your number and I’ll give you a call.”

“Sounds good,” Dex said. “Just let me know.” He gently squeezed April’s hand before he left the room.

She finished dressing, and Titan put his arm around her. “Let’s go home, to that big tub at my house where we can soak for a while. Or rather, where you can soak for a while. I’m sure you’re more than a little sore.”

“Understatement,” she said.

They started down the stairs. April didn’t want to watch anymore, or more importantly, listen to anymore. Her body and her senses were on overload, and all she wanted to do was go home and soak, just like Titan said.

But as they reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped short. Titan ran into the back of her and asked what was wrong. She looked back at him and pointed to a couple near the front door.

Tom was there, with a woman she’d never seen before. Neither of them wore masks. April had taken hers off while she was getting dressed, or maybe it had dropped off sometime during the spanking, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was she didn’t have it anymore. She looked at Titan. He didn’t have his on, either.

“Do you see him?” she whispered.

“So?” Titan shrugged. “Why does this shock you?”

“He never tried to bring me someplace like this,” she said.

Titan laughed. “He might have, if you’d ever given him any indication that you would have come. Let’s go say hi to him before we leave. It will be the perfect chance for us to say thanks, like we planned on doing earlier.”

They started toward the door, and April could tell by the look on his face that Tom wasn’t thrilled about seeing them. He frowned, and then he looked around as if he could duck into a room while they passed by.

But his expression changed when Titan stuck out his hand. The two men shook hands, and then Tom kissed April on the cheek. “I’m shocked,” Tom said to her.

“Titan has…” she wasn’t sure what to say.

“Changed you,” Tom provided. “You never would have even thought about something like this when I was slapping my hand against your ass.”

“You should have been firmer with her,” Titan said.

A dark look passed over Tom’s face, but was gone in an instant. April wanted to tell him she was sorry that she hadn’t let him get to know her, that she’d kept him at arm’s length for so long. Maybe if she hadn’t, things would have turned out differently.

But if that had been the case, she never would have met Titan. As her mother would have said, it was destiny.

The two men started talking, but April didn’t really tune into the conversation. She was too busy thinking about what happened tonight, about the spankings and the people she had met.

She was trying to go over what she would tell Misty when Titan squeezed her hand. “Tom is talking to you.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, grimacing. “My mind is not where it should be.”

“I wanted to know if you’d heard anything more about Virginia’s death,” Tom said. “But Titan already said there was nothing new.”

“Nothing at all,” she said. She’d already gotten herself into the doghouse with Threadway by taking photos of the files on his desk. There was no way she was going to tell Tom about the blond who was now outside.

“I doubt they’ll ever figure out who did it,” Tom said. “It’s sad, but I’ve heard that, if they don’t solve cases in the first few days, the leads drop away and the killer usually goes free.”

“That is sad,” April agreed. She thought about what Threadway had told them, about the hard-core things they’d found under Virginia’s floorboards. She wanted to talk about them, but not with Tom.

“We’re heading out,” Titan said. “Enjoy the rest of the evening.”

“Things are just getting started,” Tom said. “Stick around.”

“We’re done for the night,” Titan answered. “Maybe next time.”

Tom teased Titan about being a wimp, and Titan said he only wanted one thing from the evening, and that was to spend more time with April. They finally said their goodbyes, and Tom motioned to the woman who had been standing near them. She’d faded into the background as they’d approached.

April didn’t recognize her, but she had on a red collar. Tom attached a leash and they started through the house. April and Titan were already outside when April pulled him to a stop.

“I want to see something,” she said. “I’ll be right back.” She headed back into the building as Titan called for her to stop. The women at the door didn’t question her as she breezed by. Just the same, she said, “Bathroom?” One of them pointed to a door near the stairs.