Licorice Whips (33 page)

Without touching Sweet, Nikla could feel the heat emitting from his body. He could have thrown her to the wolves in this environment. Although she hated that Sweet never told his brother how he met her and her true identity, she loved that he defended her.

“Hell no. I’m not moving on from this.” Masaun pushed himself from the table. “Decadent Treats is our life. We built that from nothing except for hope and a prayer. I just can’t believe you would side with her.”

“It’s not a matter of taking sides.” Sweet started to raise his voice. “I’m not stupid or reckless. There’s a side of Nikla that you don’t see.”

“I didn’t mean to cause an argument.” Nikla started to stand, but Sweet’s arresting grip on her wrist stilled her in her chair.

“Get your head out of your ass.” Masaun never broke his glare on his brother. “Out of all the women out there, you had to bed and spank the one who hates us.” He shook his head.

“I don’t hate you.” Nikla tried talking over the men but between their booming voices only thunder could compete with them.

“Nikla is not what you think. I’ve gotten to know her.”

Masaun leaned back in his chair and let out an exasperated chuckle. “Gotten to know her? Has she gotten to know you?” He directed his attention to Nikla. “Has he told you his real name? Did he tell you about his struggles growing up? Did he tell you about the panic attacks?”

“Masaun!” Kindle put her hand on Masaun’s arm.

“You son-of-a-bitch.” Sweet shook his head.

Masaun kept his glare on Nikla. “It’s the reason I stay on top of him all the time. When he released his last submissive, he shut down. I can’t lose my only brother. That candy store gave him a goal. Gave him something to look forward to each day. I’ll be damned if you or anyone else try to take that from him.”

Sweet balled his hand into a fist on top of the table. “No matter what I do, you will always see me as that lost kid, won’t you? I don’t need you protecting me. I just need you to believe in me. Be my goddamn brother and not my keeper.”

Nikla felt something she didn’t think she would in the moment: anger. Despite being disappointed that Sweet hadn’t told Masaun about her, her heart broke for him when he realized that Masaun would always see him as a failure. She had the same feeling from her father.

Nikla stood from table. She grabbed Sweet’s hand. “His name is Swithin Bartholomew Hawkes.” She watched Masaun’s face relax. “Captain Candyland was his favorite candy store as a kid. I know about his panic attacks because I had one in front of your store and he helped me. He’s the bravest man I’ve ever met, willing to try anything.” Nikla made sure to stare directly into his eyes. “He is enough of a man to let me be myself, even if it means picketing his baby.” She leaned close to Masaun. “And I will gladly, gladly do whatever he wants me to do in the bedroom and in the dungeon.” To punctuate her point, she reached under her dress, removed her panties and handed them to Sweet.

Sweet accepted them with a smile.

“Where would you like me, Sir?” she asked him.

“Get your purse and coat.” He stood. “I think we’re done here.”

“Please, don’t go like this.” Kindle rose to her feet. “We barely finished dinner, and we still have dessert.”

Masaun waved his hand to his fiancée. “Let them go.”

Nikla strolled to the bedroom where Sweet left her personal items. If he wanted to come in the room and take her right now, she would let him. Defiance coursed through her veins.

When she returned to the dining room, she found Sweet moving over to Kindle.

“Kindle, I appreciate dinner. Wished we could stay for dessert.” Sweet gave his future sister-in-law a hug.

“You could stay.”

Nikla heard the pleading tone in her voice.

“Not tonight.” Sweet shook his head.

Masaun rose to his feet but stared stoically at Sweet.

“See you at the store.” Sweet stepped away from the table and held Nikla’s hand.

With Sweet by her side, she felt invincible. For that reason, she knew she would have to tell him about her father.

****

When Sweet got to his truck he opened the door for Nikla. Sweet jumped in and locked his door. He faced her. “I should have told Masaun who you really were.”

“Yes, you should have. I felt humiliated. I felt set up.” Nikla crossed her arms over her chest.

“I didn’t want that to happen.”

“Oh, yeah? What did you expect to happen?”

“I wanted him to see the amazing person I see.” Sweet stared at her. “I wanted him to understand how I could be so crazy about you.”

All air escaped her lungs. Nikla couldn’t break her gaze from Sweet.

“Breathe,” he said simply.

On an exhale she said, “You’re crazy about me?”

He smiled at her. “You’re all I think about every day.” He held her hand. “When it comes to me, my brother is very protective. I’m the same with him. He just wants to make sure I’m happy.”

“I do, too.” Nikla put her free hand on his lap. “Can we go home now?”

“Come back to my place.”

“Wherever you want to take me, I’ll go.” She squeezed his thigh and felt his muscles flex. “However–”

Sweet split his attention between her and the road.

“If you can take me back to my apartment, I can pack a bag. I have late classes tomorrow so I can sleep in.”

“Too bad I can’t.” He brushed his finger down the side of her face. “Duty calls. But every moment I can spend with you would be worth skating in to work on time.”

Nikla smiled at his response. The real reason she wanted him to take her to her apartment wouldn’t be pleasant. She didn’t want what happened at dinner to happen when Sweet met her father. If she wanted a somewhat cordial meeting, she would have to break the news to both.

****

Sweet didn’t take his stare off the road during the drive. From his peripheral vision, he caught Nikla’s surprised expression when he passed the exit going to her home. He knew where he needed to take her. From her silence, Nikla must have had an idea of where he headed as well.

When he pulled into The Dollhouse parking lot, his stomach tightened into a ball. He parked, and Nikla waited in her seat until he opened her door and helped her out of his truck.

Sweet felt her shaking as he walked to the door. He really hoped her reaction stemmed from excitement and not from fear.

As he held her hand, Sweet led her to the room where he wanted to push himself and her body. He pulled her down a darkened hallway to the rooms with the large bondage furniture. Sweet looked in one room and found Dominant Razor whipping Lolli as he had her strapped to a wooden sawhorse.

At the next room, he found Mistress Extreme with a male sub in a stockade.

“Damn.” Sweet wanted to put Nikla in that device.

At the last room in the corner, the room many of the Doms and Dommes didn’t use because of its uneven temperature, Sweet found the space empty and darker than the hallway. He dragged Nikla inside and closed the door. The significantly cooler room didn’t seem inviting. What he would do to her would seem even less appealing.

“Take off your clothes.” Sweet looked at her to see if Nikla would hesitate.

Unlike when he took her to the voyeur room, she didn’t pause. Nikla removed her thin red belt then her dress. Sweet took the items from her and waited for her to remove her bra.

When she placed the undergarment in his hand, she held up one foot as though to nonverbally ask him if she should take off her shoes or leave them. Sweet knew how much she loved walking around in bare feet.

“Take them off.”

Nikla smiled slightly as she stepped out of her shoes. Sweet led her over to a piece of furniture that had four legs and a bar across the top. Two bars across the bottom braced the piece. Before he had Nikla assume the position, he had to push her.

“Stand right here and let me inspect you.” He stared into her eyes.

Already he saw them turning red, either out of anger or sadness. Sweet maintained his stare. She would have to trust him in this exercise. He knew her father did this to her and her brother. He would do it in a different way.

“Yellow,” Nikla whispered.

Sweet kept his hard stance. He put his hands behind his back and raised his chest, knowing that it would remind her of a military stance. “I said stand there and let me look you over.”

Nikla’s jaw flexed. “Please.”

This time Sweet couldn’t look her in her eyes. He turned his head as he said, “You know the standard safe words. Green, yellow, and red. Do you want this to stop?”

God, he hoped not.

Please trust me.

Nikla took a deep breath. She exhaled out of her mouth. She gave him one slight nod letting him know he could continue.

Sweet took a couple of steps back and scanned her body. “Hair up in a bun.” He regained eye contact with her. “Perfect.” He watched her shoulders relax a little.

Good. Sweet could see her resistance melting.

“Makeup. Flawless.” He approached her and pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled back he said, “Not so much now.”

Nikla laughed then righted herself.

“Eyes.” Sweet couldn’t think of a word to perfectly describe her soulful brown eyes that managed to suck him in every time he looked at them. “Mesmerizing.”

He ran his hand down her neck to her shoulder then her hand. “Soft, glowing skin.” Sweet cupped her tits. The firm orbs felt weighty in his hands. “Firm, wonderful breasts.” He peered down. “Sexy feet.”

Nikla’s smile widened.

Sweet strolled around her body. He administered one hard smack to her ass that made Nikla gasp and jump. “The best ass I’ve ever seen.” He circled back around to the front of Nikla. “I’d say you pass this inspection with flying colors.”

Nikla beamed like she wanted to hop around and do a happy dance. She started to approach him and raise her hands to hug him but stopped herself.

Sweet leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’re worthy. I hope you know that. You didn’t need me to tell you what’s so obvious.” He kissed the side of her face then took a step back from her. “Stand behind this, get on your knees and lie across the top bar.”

“Yes, Sir.” Nikla did as instructed. She dropped to her knees, bent over, and grabbed the legs of the furniture.

Sweet moved behind her. As soon as he spied her rounded ass, his mind filled with images of fucking her from behind. He had to snap out of those thoughts. In The Dollhouse, sex topped the list of no-no’s. Funny. Cutting, fire play, needle play and oral sex could all be performed there. No sex.

Sweet went to a large, black armoire and opened the creaky doors, which triggered the light inside. He retrieved a few bundles of rope.

Now beside Nikla, Sweet dropped down to his knees and first tied her wrists and arms to the legs. He moved behind her. With little effort, he pried her legs apart. Sweet emitted a moan at the sight of her glistening pink core.

Against his better judgment, Sweet ran his finger down from her puckered asshole to her pussy opening then to her clit. This time Nikla moaned. Her body writhed.

“Mmm, good.” She craned her head around. “I wish we could do more in here.”

Sweet regarded her for a moment, but didn’t answer. He tied her thighs to the other table legs then stood. He observed his work, this woman. She trusted him to make herself so open and vulnerable.

Sweet returned to the armoire and retrieved a paddle. “Do you think it was appropriate to pull off your panties at dinner in front of my brother and Kindle?”

****

Nikla smiled, hoping that Sweet would share in her revelry. “For you? I’d do it again.”

Feeling the hard smack on her ass made her rethink her decision. Did Sweet like or hate her stunt?

Then she thought about her response and quickly added, “Sir.”

For that, she still got another smack on her other cheek. The surface pain resonated and Nikla started to react to the immediate feeling. She balled her hands and her breathing increased.

“I still have your panties in my pocket.” Sweet spanked her ass two more times, always in different spots.

Nikla winced and released small cries.

“I loved that you did that.” Sweet caressed her backside. “Sexiest damn thing I have ever seen in my life.” This time, instead of using the paddle, Sweet spanked her ass with his bare hand. “What made it sexy was how you defended me to my brother.”

Realizing that Sweet’s discipline didn’t come from anger but more for pleasure, Nikla’s breathing slowed. She curved her back and raised her ass in the air as much as she could for him considering her bound state.

“Why did you do that?”

Nikla heard Sweet moving away from her. He must have been getting another toy.

“Answer me,” Sweet demanded. “I didn’t tell Masaun about you. You should have been pissed with me.”

Nikla had almost forgotten that he had posed a question. “I was angry with you.” She didn’t hear Sweet move. The air in the room stilled. “The more I listened to your brother, the more I realized how much he sounded like my father when he talks to me.”

“So you felt sorry for me?”

Nikla felt the thudding smack of a flogger against her already sensitive skin. The feeling shook her body. Her clit throbbed. Juices ran down her inner thighs.

She licked her lips and now hoped that Sweet wouldn’t stop. “I didn’t feel sorry for you. I felt anger
for
you.”

Nikla suddenly felt the tails of the flogger hit her naked pussy. She curved her back up like she had executed a yoga cat pose once she experienced the hit.

“Green.” She settled onto the sensations.

With each hit, Nikla felt connected to Sweet. She noticed that Sweet increased the intensity. She loved it.

“Green!” Nikla didn’t want him to stop. She wanted to show him that she could take this punishment and more from him, only from him.

She balled her hands into fists to stave off her impending climax. Nikla wouldn’t call out her safe word. Just as Sweet had taught her, she learned to embrace the pain, make it a part of her, look forward to it.

As suddenly as the discipline started, it stopped. Nikla thought Sweet paused so that she could catch his breath. Then she heard a large thud hit the floor.