Bondage Ranch 5: His Little Treasure (2 page)

It hadn’t been the best of evenings. He’d had a date lined up, a tall willowy blonde named Laurie who was too thin to be his type but who was classically beautiful and had enough interests in common for a good scene. They’d negotiated a flogging, and he’d had her tied up to a St. Andrew’s cross. “Careful not to mark me,” she’d said.

“Of course.” He knew what he was doing with a flogger and would never leave marks on a woman unless he’d negotiated it beforehand. It wasn’t his thing anyway. A bruise shouldn’t last longer than a relationship, as far as he was concerned, and the two of them were just ships passing in the night.

“My husband doesn’t know I’m here, so I can’t make him suspicious.”

He’d untied her and let her go. It hadn’t taken her long to find a new partner, one who didn’t know or didn’t care that she was married and cheating on her spouse. Maybe even one who got a thrill out of it. Diego tried not to judge, but he knew where his own boundaries were.

He decided he’d watched long enough. Whoever the brunette was, she didn’t seem to be with anyone. He’d walk over, get an introduction from Alex, and see if she was single and wanted to play. But as soon as he started in that direction, the woman turned and walked briskly from the dungeon. He didn’t think he’d been spotted watching, so she wasn’t running away. He just had bad timing.

He crossed the room, detouring around a waxing table where Arthur was dripping red wax onto his wife, a squirming blonde named Samantha. Samantha was a bit like Laurie, he thought, blonde and thin. And married, but to the man she was playing with. He grinned at Arthur as he walked by. It was nice to see a happy couple. He’d thought that it might work out that way for him once, long ago, but he’d been young, too young, and foolish.

Alex was also married, although her husband Dylan was welcoming visitors in the living room while Alex kept watch over the dungeon. “Hi, Alex.”

“Hi, Diego.” Alex smiled. “Anything I should know?”

He shook his head. She’d probably seen the abrupt ending to his scene with Laurie, but it wasn’t his job to spread rumors. Besides, Laurie had been honest about her situation, even if she’d left it late.
I should have asked
. “I came over to introduce myself to the woman you were talking to.”

“She said she’d be back. She just stepped out to freshen up.”

“Would you do me the kindness of an introduction?” He had an inward chuckle at his own formality. He’d met Alex and Dylan first not in the context of Bondage Ranch, but at the dance parties and lessons that were the Allisons’ regular source of income. Most of the year the dungeon was a fancy ballroom, often filled with men and women in Regency costumes. His daughter, Consuela, worked for Alex on those parties and stayed well away from the kinky events.

“You’ve never been shy about introducing yourself,” observed Alex.

Diego nodded. That wasn’t entirely true. He had been painfully shy once. When he was in his midteens, he’d never found the courage to ask a girl for a date. But he’d learned that if nice guys finished last, shy ones didn’t even start, so he’d forced himself to overcome it. It had been easier once his body had started to fill out, and after he’d began lifting weights and had made the soccer team. He’d made friends then, and had even picked up a girlfriend, although hormones had made too many decisions he should have made with his brain. “Well, I don’t think chasing her to the bathroom is the right move. If she doesn’t come back in a few minutes, I’ll see if she went to the living room.”

“Her name’s Emma,” offered Alex. “She’s a friend of Valerie’s.” She nodded across the hall.

He followed her gaze. He knew Valerie. Everyone knew Valerie. Tall and with long hair that was currently red, Valerie was half spilling over the top of a leather bustier and standing next to the same cross he’d been about to use earlier. She and Mistress Sue were teasing some hapless guy tied to the cross, stroking his hard cock and then letting it go every time he approached his release. Edging, it was called. He never did that to a woman for as long as Sue and Valerie were doing it to the man. He’d rather make her come—and then work on making her come again. But Sue and Valerie seemed to be enjoying themselves. He wasn’t going to interrupt to pump Valerie for information about her friend.

“Is Emma single?” Diego asked.

“I haven’t seen her with anyone here,” Alex said. “But you know we don’t ask, nor do I share anyone’s secrets. Including yours. Maybe you should ask?”

“I will when I get a chance.”

“I don’t know if she’s your type.”

Diego studied Alex for a moment. He’d watched her in action before, trying to set up people who she thought matched. Alex was up to something, and he wouldn’t put a little reverse psychology past her. “Oh, I think she is. Curves in all the right places.” Diego grinned.

“I don’t mean physically.” Alex rolled her eyes. “Men! I mean temperament. I think she’s very quiet. Reflective.”

“And shy isn’t my type?” he asked.

“Well, no. You’re more out there. I mean, not as out there as Valerie, maybe, but—”

“Who is?” asked Diego.

“Well, no one. Certainly not here. Bondage Ranch wouldn’t be big enough. The point is, you are most definitely an
E
.”

“An
E
?” Diego asked.

“Sorry, Myers-Briggs talk. An extrovert.”

My, do I ever have people fooled
. Diego chuckled and decided to see if Alex was bluffing. “You’re probably right. I’ll try my luck elsewhere.”

“Then again,” Alex said, a bit too quickly, “sometimes opposites attract.”

Emma walked back into the room, but as she let the door swing closed behind her, she looked back at it wistfully, as if she was considering heading right out again. Diego decided he’d do best without Alex’s attempts at matchmaking. “Excuse me,” he said.

“Good luck,” said Alex.

Emma saw him coming and stood aside, apparently thinking he was headed for the door. Instead he came to a halt in front of her.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said. “Are you here with anyone?”

She hesitated, then shook her head.

Her hesitation wasn’t a good sign. He didn’t intend to let things go as far as they had with Laurie without being sure. “Someone back home?”

“Oh, no. I’m here with a friend, a girlfriend, a friend friend. I’m babbling.”

He grinned at her. “It’s lovely babble. Would you like to play?”

Chapter Two

He probably called all the women beautiful, but Emma still enjoyed hearing it. He was dark-skinned, obviously Latino, with wavy jet-black hair, and muscles that stretched the arms of the tight T-shirt he wore. She did a quick glance to make sure he wasn’t talking to someone behind her, but there was only the wall there. Simple as that, he barely knew her, and he asked her to play. Play might mean all sorts of things, anything from a spanking to sex to— Well, she was here for the adventure. She opened her mouth to say yes.

And then thought better of it. “What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“That depends on what we can find that we both like.” He stuck out his hand. “Hi. I’m Diego.”

“Emma,” she said.

“First time?”

“Second.”
And yes, I’m just that memorable
. Although she was pretty sure she’d remember him. “Yours?”

“No, I’m a regular. But I was only at the last one briefly, so maybe our paths didn’t cross. Was that when you were here?”

“Yes.”

“I was sure I would have remembered you.”

Emma didn’t believe a word of it. After all, she’d been trying to be invisible. But still, she gave him credit for being smooth. He had a hint of a New York accent, possibly over something else more foreign. His voice was pleasant. He even smelled nice, clean and slightly musky. She waited, wondering what he’d propose. Would he want to flog her? She wouldn’t mind trying that once. Ropes, maybe? She wasn’t sure about the hot wax she’d seen dripped on people. That looked too scary. And would he let her keep her clothes on? But as Valerie had pointed out, she could always yell for help if she got in over her head, as long as she stuck to the main room. The thoughts were making her tingle.

“What sort of thing do you like?” he asked.

“I don’t…” she hesitated. Would he still be interested in her if he knew she was completely inexperienced? But it didn’t matter. There was no point in lying or being wanted for anything except what she was. “I don’t know. I’ve never.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re a virgin?”

She laughed, although the sound seemed high-pitched to her ears. “Um, no! Not that never. Just never anything, well, kinky.” Her last relationship had been physically satisfying but emotionally draining. There had been plenty of sex, even if it wasn’t very good sex, and that had been enough for a while until she found out Ed had been having twice as much as her.

“That surprises me,” Diego said. “Especially if you’ve come here before. Surely someone offered?”

“No.”

“That really surprises me. But you have fantasies or you wouldn’t be here.”

“Yes.” She knew she was giving him short answers. Was that awkward?

“You know about safe words?”

“Yes. Valerie taught me. Do you know Valerie?” She shifted her gaze to where Valerie was playing with Sue. The two were kissing each other in front of the tied-up Keith. Emma had wanted to change the subject from herself, but she regretted it instantly. She didn’t want Diego thinking about the other girl or getting all hot and bothered from watching two women kissing. Sue and Val were really hamming it up.

Diego laughed but didn’t turn around. “Everyone knows Valerie. I get the feeling you two are very different. But you’re friends?”

“Yes.”

“Opposites sometimes attract.” He grinned. “So you know the safe word here is ‘danger’?”

“Yes.” Valerie had told her that if she yelled it out, everyone would come running to help.
“Big strong manly men,”
Valerie had said with a giggle.
“Almost worth doing just for that.”

He smiled and took her hand in his. “Since it’s your first time, why don’t we find out what you like? I see a post free across the room, and we can play next to that. I can give you a taste of bondage but keep your feet free. We’ll experiment. I’ll seduce your consent every step of the way.”

“You’re sure I’ll say yes?”

“Not certain. But I think you will.” His eyes sparkled. “And if you want me to stop something without bringing the whole place on us, say ‘ruby’ and we’ll stop and talk about what’s wrong. And continue with other things if you want to.”

Ruby. She remembered the gems dangling from the pretty brunette’s breasts. Maybe he’d seen them too. They were very striking.

What intrigued her most about the clamps though was the way people turned to look at the woman wearing them. Emma normally avoided being the center of attention, but yet she hated it when nobody noticed her. To be looked at, without having to talk—no, she didn’t mind talking exactly. What she didn’t like was having to talk when she had nothing to say.

She looked up at Diego. He had taken her hand in his without asking, but he wasn’t dragging her across the room like Valerie had. She had a choice, and he was waiting for an answer.

“Sure. What the hell,” she said, trying to sound carefree.

He grinned. “Good.” He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm behind her waist instead, steering her farther into the room but not in the direction she’d expected.

“I thought we were going to the post?”

“I need to get my bag first. We need some toys. Rope. A flogger. Clamps perhaps? Do you like having your nipples squeezed?”

“Um.” She’d barely met him, and it seemed like an intimate question. But she’d overheard enough conversations here to know that was how it was done. She remembered one domme asking a male sub, “how do you feel about being fucked in the ass?” and being answered promptly with a yes. People were very frank at Bondage Ranch. That took some getting used to.

“Yes or no?” He didn’t raise his voice, but it was insistent.

“I guess it depends on how much,” she said. “I mean, I’ve felt fingers, but— Okay, I hate to sound shallow, but are they pretty clamps?”

He chuckled, but it didn’t sound condescending. “You are worried about how you look?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. That will be taken into account. They aren’t, well—did you see the rubies and diamonds on Constance?”

“Is that her name? Yes, those were lovely.”

“Setting the bar very high,” he agreed. “Mine have a silver chain between them that sparkles. We’ll see what you think.” He leaned over and picked up a large gym bag with his left hand. Something in it clanked, and it was clearly packed full. It looked heavy, but it didn’t seem to bother him. Together they made their way across the room to the post.

Everyone in the room must know what we’re about to do
. But she looked around, and while everyone might know, no one much seemed to care, with two exceptions. Valerie noticed and gave her a thumbs-up and a grin. A tall, thin blonde looked up awkwardly from a spanking bench and glared at her.

The blonde was being spanked by an athletic man with dark hair and a mustache, who was whispering something in her ear.
If I was in that situation, I don’t think I’d be looking around
. Then she had a dark thought.

“How about you? Are you attached to anyone?” she asked Diego. “Here or otherwise?”

Diego shook his head. If he’d even noticed the blonde, she couldn’t tell. “No. If I was, I wouldn’t be playing with anyone else.”

She took another look over at the blonde, but the woman was looking at the floor now. She yelped at a particularly hard smack and then thrust out her back for more.

Maybe I was imagining it.

The piece of equipment Diego led her to was the simplest piece of furniture in the room. A broad, heavy wooden base six inches tall stabilized a vertical post. The wooden four-by-four was over six feet tall, polished and painted black. A large O-ring was bolted a few inches from the top of it. It was situated in the darkest corner of the room.

He gestured her on to it with one hand and held her hand with the other. She stepped on to the platform uncertainly. When she was stable, he let her go.