The Dom's Dungeon (28 page)

Slam. Slam. Slam.

Frak
!
Shocking, stinging pain, and
yet it sent her right to the brink of release.
So close
. She panted, digging her fingers into the carpet.

Yet he
didn't touch her. She moaned.

Then he
pressed into her again, stroking that spot inside. “Come for me,
MacKensie
.” His fingers rubbed her clit firmly, and with
his other hand, he slapped her bottom.

“
Oooh
,
oo
,
oo
,
oo
.”
She bucked on him as he plunged his thumb in and
out, as his fingers tapped her clit just enough that her orgasm wouldn't stop.
His hard hand pressed her down again, pinning her to his knees as he drew every
last spasm out of her.

When he
finally picked her up off his knees and held her, rocked her, told her he loved
her, that she was his wonderful sub, she cried. Oh God, she cried. Wrenching,
gut-hurting sobs.

When she
finished, she whispered, “I'm sorry.”

He huffed
a laugh and lifted her chin with one finger. “Make it up to me,” he murmured.

She nodded
and started to unbutton his shirt. He chuckled again. “No, little cat. It goes
like this…” He looked into her eyes and stroked her cheek. “I love you,
MacKensie
.”

Her heart
seemed to stop, then compress, then sink. She just stared at him.

A crease
appeared in his cheek. “We'll try again. I love you,
MacKensie
.”
He raised his eyebrows, waiting for…

He wanted
her to—he wanted her to love him back? He
wanted
that? From
her?
She met his gaze, saw
the patience and—oh God—the love. “I love you, Alex,” she whispered.

His eyes
crinkled. “Better. A little tentative, but I'm sure you'll improve with
practice. I love you,
MacKensie
.” He waited.

Her lips
curved, and she said firmly, “I love you, Alex.”

“Perfect.”
He kissed her, sweetly at first, tenderly, then so possessively that her heart
started to pound. His hands moved over her breasts, his thumbs tormenting her
nipples into swollen peaks. When he released her, she moaned a complaint.

Smiling,
he put her hands on his shirt again. “Now, little sub, now you may show how
much you love me.”

She undid
the buttons, removed his shirt, and settled beside him. Her bottom touched the
bed, and she winced and then gave him a mean look. “You want me to show you
like you did me?”

He barked
a laugh, and suddenly she was underneath him, his weight pressing her down into
the mattress. He shoved her legs apart, freed his cock, and slid it into her in
one ruthless thrust. One hand fisted in her hair, holding her face in place as
he frowned into her eyes. “Little sub, if you try to swat me, I'll tie you up
so tight, you won't be able to move.” He slid his cock in and out, as if he'd
felt the clench of her pussy. “And then I'll take you so many times, you won't
be able to walk.” In and out.

“Or maybe
I'll strap a dildo in you and a vibrator on your front and make you come until
your voice goes hoarse.”

Her breath
stopped, and then she could see the amusement in his eyes that he'd hidden. “Ah,
I know. I'll have a party and let everyone spank you”—he lifted her legs,
pressing her knees upward, then moved inside her, harder, deeper, faster—“and
then I'll take you again.”

* * * * *

Peter led
them through the formal parlor and into a more-casual family room before
raising his voice. “Hope. Alex and
MacKensie
are
here.”

Mac braced
herself. She'd had years of seeing disdain on people's faces. Peter had
appeared friendly, but hey, he was a lawyer and Alex's friend. He'd never—

Her
thoughts blanked when Hope appeared, sped across the room, and wrapped Mac in a
whirlwind hug. A hug? After a second of complete shock, Mac managed to lift her
arms and hug back. And breathe. Breathing was important.

Eventually
Hope stepped back and set her hands on her hips. “So—at the party yesterday?
Well, I've never seen anyone retreat that fast before. You were gone before
anyone could move.” She scowled. “You dummy.”

Mac shook
her head as her preconceptions slid right out from under her. “Why are you
still talking to me? Didn't you hear anything that man said?”

“Yeah.
And
Alex explained. You were just a baby.” Hope's brows drew together. “A couple of
my students have dropped out over the years, and I pray they aren't getting
caught in something like that.” She pointed at the couch. “Sit down and don't
even think about trying to escape.”

When the
pixie trotted back into her kitchen, Mac looked at the men helplessly.

Alex
grinned.

Peter
ruffled her hair and pushed her toward the living room. “Sit. You have some
decisions to make, and Alex asked me to help you with them.”

Decisions?
Mac
sank down on the couch, reassured when Alex sat next to her, his warmth against
her side. He leaned back, as always totally at ease, his arms resting on the
back of the couch.

Hope
emerged from the kitchen with a tray of drinks. “Iced tea. I hope you like it,”
she said. She set the tray on the coffee table, handed Peter a glass, and then
perched on the arm of his chair.

“Thanks,
love.” Peter smiled at Hope, then tipped his glass at Mac. “Are you planning to
stay in Seattle,
MacKensie
? And will you be with
Alex?”

She opened
her mouth, closed it, and then burst out, “I can't.” She felt Alex stiffen and
turned to him, trying to make him see. “You have a reputation. You're one of
the movers and shakers in Seattle society. My being with you will ruin your
reputation. They'd ostracize you.” Her chest hurt, but she forced the words
out. “I can't do that to you. Don't you understand?”

Alex
glanced at Peter. “See why I love her?” Taking her hand, he kissed her palm. “I
am one of the owners of a notorious BDSM club named Chains, and people know
that. So I already have a disreputable reputation that, oddly enough, everyone
manages to ignore. You will do me no damage, pet.”

“Your
mother…”

He
grinned. “Ah. That you'll have to take up with her, although I think you
underestimate her. But,
MacKensie
, her opinion
doesn't affect what is between us.”

Didn't he
understand anything?

“
MacKensie
.”
Peter dragged her attention back. “Assuming none
of this happened, would you want to stay with Alex?”

“Oh God,
yes.”

Alex
chuckled and pulled her closer, tucking her into his side as if she were a
little chick. “There's the right answer.”

“All
right.”
Peter
pursed his lips as he thought. “Does Carl Dickerson have anything else to throw
at you, or has he shot his wad, so to speak?”

“Peter.
Honestly!” Hope smacked him on the thigh.

Mac shook
her head. How could they take this so calmly, even joking about it, as if her
past was a simple problem to be solved? “There's nothing else. I didn't do
drugs, wasn't arrested, didn't steal.”

“Just a
year of being a baby hooker, then.
Good.” Peter smiled at her.
“Honey, you realize what that means, don't you?”

Mac
thought about it. Alex's hand cupped her shoulder, his thumb stroking her skin
gently. Patiently. She began to see what Peter was driving at. Dickerson didn't
have anything else he could throw at her. He'd already broadcast her past in
the highest society and vet circles. “He can't do anything worse than what he's
already done.”

“Very good.”
Peter
smiled. “I did a little checking. He has a nasty temper—one of the reasons that
he's changed clinics several times—but apparently he just had an acrimonious
divorce, and his wife made some very unflattering comments about him in
public.”

Mac bit
her lip, smothering a hysterical laugh. Perhaps insulting Dickerson's size and
performance had been a bit unwise.

“So,
knowing that, the next move is yours. You can cower in the house or simply go
on. Your decision, honey.”

“He's a
vet. I'm bound to run into him again,” Mac whispered.

“Probably
so.”

Mac stared
at her hands, the fingers infected with a fine trembling. He would undoubtedly
denounce her again. But gossip being what it was, by that time, everyone would
already know her past. He could yell…but people had yelled at her before. He
could proposition…but she'd dealt with that before too. So yes, he'd done his
worst, and she'd survived. Alex was not only still with her but loved her.
I've done enough running and hiding
. Her
shoulders straightened. “I'm not going to cower.”

* * * * *

As they
were leaving, Alex watched
MacKensie
give Hope
another hug. Much of the tension had left her body; she'd been bracing herself
for the pain of losing her friends. He glanced at Peter. “Thank you. She needed
an objective viewpoint.”

“My
pleasure.”
Peter smiled. “Not that I had a choice. I think Hope has adopted her.
We still on for tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yes.”
Alex nodded. “You'll be able to manage that as well as the party?”

“Oh yes.”
Peter's eyes glinted with the look he had right before he did a closing
argument to the jury. “I'm looking forward to a wonderful evening.”

Mac
stopped in the center of the sidewalk, her feet refusing to move farther.
Peter's house glimmered with light. As the sound of lilting music and a
multitude of voices wafted out the open door, Mac just knew this was going to
be a horrible evening.

Alex
halted and looked down at her, but didn't speak. Just waited.

Mac took a
breath of the cold night air. Okay. She had to do this. One more trial in an
already-very-full day. She shook her head.
Damn
Alex anyway
. Late in the afternoon, his friends had shown up at the house
for “playtime,” and Alex, going into Dom mode, had forced Mac to explain her
past. All of it.

Peter and
Hope knew, of course, but Hope had a big heart. Apparently so did others.

“
Honestly
,” Tess had said. “
If someone held teenage fiascos against me,
I'd be dead meat. Not many of us get through that age without screwing up
royally at least once
.”

And over
the next couple of hours, each Dom had yanked her over his lap and swatted her
a few times, telling her that if she needed to know she was cared for, they had
the laps and the palms to help her out.

Her bottom
still hurt. She glared at Alex, and as if he understood, he slid an arm around
her waist, then down, until his hand rubbed her tender butt.

“Jerk,”
she whispered.

“True.” He
nuzzled her cheek. “But we all enjoyed it.”

She sighed
and kissed him lightly. Painful as it had been, they'd actually made her feel
cared for. Like in gym class when people lined up on sides… Only this time, she
actually had someone standing on
her
side.

After the
play session, Hope and Tess had chattered away, taking turns scolding Mac when
she got teary-eyed over their continued friendship. They'd insisted on helping
Mac dress for this party. Tess had pulled Mac's hair back into a low ponytail,
and Hope had applied her makeup. As a result, she looked ten years younger,
more like a college student than a professional.

I can do this
. Mac gave herself a mental nod
and started her legs moving again.
I can
do this
. She repeated it all the way up to the door of Peter's brick home.
She managed to let the doorman take her coat, although it felt as if she were
relinquishing her armor. But she looked good, partly because of the unexpected
addition to her wardrobe that had appeared in her closet earlier. The silky
blue cocktail dress—true blue, Alex called it—flowed around her legs. The
bodice, decorated with darker blue stones, was modest and subdued.

The first
sight of the room full of people stopped her in her tracks, and she had to
instruct her feet to move—gracefully, dammit—into the room. Beside her, Alex
didn't speak, simply walked with her, his arm brushing against hers with every
step.

She knew
full well that he wanted to walk in front of her and slay the dragons for her.
That he'd let her stand on her own as she'd asked was a gift to her. God, she
loved him.

They moved
into the center of the room. So many people, and she could feel the impact of
their eyes.
This is just a party
.
She'd been to parties before and even enjoyed herself.
I can do this.

“Take a
breath, little cat,” Alex murmured.

When she
spotted the man, her stomach dropped to her toes. Why was he here? Surely Peter
hadn't invited him. He wouldn't do that to her. She started to shrink like
Saran Wrap in a fire.