“You planning to wash me, little subbie?” he murmured.

“Anything you want,” she whispered, then blinked. What?

He laughed and put her hands back on his chest.

Right. Don’t look at his eyes. Or his face.

So she soaped up his chest, getting mesmerized by how he had just the perfect amount of hair sprinkled across his solid pecs. The inverted triangle changed to a narrow line down to where…he had a gorgeous hard-on.

Well, that could keep her busy and her mind off…other thoughts.

He chuckled and wrapped her fingers around his erection. Thick. Long. Veins curving around the silken skin. She had the time now to look. To enjoy. She slid her hand up and down, teasing with squeezes, adding her other hand. She leaned forward so her breasts would rub on his lower chest. Oh, she definitely wanted him. But just his body. Not anything more.

And she’d start by driving him crazy. That would be an excellent end to the evening.

But before she could go down on him, he stopped her, picked up the soap, and started to suds her breasts. Oh holy God. An insistent pinch brought her up on tiptoes. “Pay attention to what you’re doing, sweetheart,” he said. “Keep those hands moving.”

* * *

Having taken a quick shower, Galen carried his toy bag down the tiny path that angled off from the back of the house. The foliage grew thicker as he approached the lake where the cabana rested on stilts near the water’s edge. The place was perfect for housing guests who desired privacy—or it would be once they got it remodeled. Since the building had a tiny kitchenette and bathroom, he and Vance had slept here when they’d first moved into the house. But the only restoration done so far was to yank out the small window overlooking the water and put in a wall-sized one.

He stepped inside and looked around. One corner held a small fridge and stovetop with cupboards over them and a nearby tall cabinet. Twin beds were pushed against two walls. A sturdy square table and two wooden-backed chairs were close to the front door. On the wall to the left, the window showed the moon over the lake sending fingers of light across the black water.

Yes, this would do nicely. He took ropes from his bag. The table would be a fine height for play.

As Galen finished setting various implements around the room, he heard Sally’s voice outside. Not good the way it made his heart lift.

Followed by Vance, Sally walked in, attired in a long fleece robe.

Her flushed cheeks and swollen lips looked as if she’d been nicely aroused. Galen gave his partner a nod of approval and tried not to grin. Bet his jeans had been difficult to zip up over that hard-on.

“This is a great place.” Sally spun in a circle and came to a sudden halt. She’d spotted the paddle on the table, the crop on the bed. “You’re going to punish me? But…I just graduated.”

“I heard a rumor to that effect.” Galen stepped closer and undid the ties of the robe. As the sides opened, he caught the fragrance of aroused woman, soap, lotion. “You smell good, pet.”

“I’m not wearing any perfume.”

“You don’t need any.” He pushed the robe farther back so he could caress her soft breasts. When he scraped his thumbnail over one pointing nipple, her sharp inhalation was his reward. And, as he’d expected, she automatically tried to step back. Already standing behind her, Vance blocked that retreat.

“Do you run away because of instincts, or do you really not like my hands on you?” Galen asked. He curved his fingers under her breast, feeling the heavy roundness. Her spiked nipple, her response to his touch had already told him the answer, but she needed to acknowledge it to herself.

“I-I guess instincts.”

She’d even dodge verbally. “Do you like my hands on you?” he asked her directly.

Her gaze dropped. “Yes.”

And even though he knew her answer already, hearing her admit it made him feel like he’d reached a mountain peak. He cleared his throat. “All right. Do you like Vance to touch you?”

“Yes.” Her voice had lowered, as if she were confessing a crime.

“That’s good, pet. We plan to do a great deal of touching tonight.” Time to rev up those nerves a bit. “Some you’ll like. Some you won’t.”

His fingers on her breast registered the increase in her pulse.

Very nice. “Now, before we do anything else, let’s get your punishment out of the way.” And start her off on her journey to another plane.

She jolted slightly. “I get punished because I graduated?”

“Sally. You get punished because you had an extra drink after I told you not to,” Vance said.

“B-but it was a party. My party.”

“We wanted to play with you afterward,” Galen replied.

Vance said, “And we didn’t want you breaking your neck if your ankle gave out.” At her flush, he added, “Alcohol and gimp legs don’t mix well.”

Wasn’t that the fucking truth, Galen thought sourly. But his mood lightened as he looked at the imp. Even subdued, she still seemed filled with joy. By God, she was something. He smiled and touched her cheek. “Ready, imp?”

When she raised her big brown eyes, Vance grinned at Galen over her head and tugged her robe completely off.

Galen doubted he’d ever get tired of seeing her without clothing. The faint moonlight slid across her bare skin like a lover’s stroke, highlighting areas he planned to touch, shadowing those where the scent of woman would be strongest.

Vance curled his hand around her upper arm. After taking his seat in the chair next to the table, he firmly pulled her down over his knees.

The moonlight turned her full round ass to a marble white.

That skin was just begging to be pinkened.


SALLY SPLAYED HER hands on the floor, trying to stay balanced on Vance’s very muscular thighs. Her pulse had sped up; her skin felt overly sensitive, as if even the air was scraping across it.

When she shifted uncomfortably, he ruthlessly arranged her position so her bottom rose higher in the air. “You know why you’re being punished. Do you have any questions?”

Had she ever seen the guys doing a punishment scene? How bad was this going to get? She turned her head so she could see Galen’s face. “What are you planning to do?”

His expression hardened with disapproval. “I’m not impressed with Z’s lessons for the trainees.”

God, no trainee would ask a question like that. Why did she keep forgetting her self-discipline with these guys? “Sorry, Sir.”

Galen leaned his hip on a corner of the table and regarded her with a grave expression. “Is obedience too much to ask of you?”

The question took her breath away. “No, Sir.” Knowing she’d disappointed them created an ugly feeling in her chest. They’d been kind to her, she’d asked them to be her Doms, and then she kept smarting off. And deliberately disobeyed a direct order.

Did they even like her anymore? She swallowed past a tight throat.

After a minute, Vance laid his hand on her bottom. The warmth sank into her cold skin. “Pretty little ass, don’t you think, Galen?”

“Ayuh.” Galen pulled the empty chair out from the table and moved it so he could rest his injured leg on the bed. Obviously settling in for the show.

She gritted her teeth and prepared for the worst. At one time, she’d thought Vance was the easygoing one. That assumption might have been incorrect.

He stroked and massaged before slapping lightly all over her bottom. She closed her eyes as a kernel of worry sprouted. The care he was taking meant he planned a longer session.

Slap, slap, slap. He worked his way up and down her bottom in sets of three, pausing briefly before hitting harder. As he established his rhythm, the mild sting turned to a burn. To the beginning of pain. But he stopped and returned to rubbing her bottom.

She started to smile. That wasn’t bad at all. Almost erotic. She’d been right after all; Vance wasn’t into dispensing pain. She relaxed, enjoying the slight scrape of his calloused palm over her tenderized flesh.

He leaned forward, reaching toward the table. But the surface had been empty except for…that narrow wooden paddle.

No!

The paddle smacked her right in the sweet spot, the rise of her cheek from the crease of her thigh. The sound was startling, the bite meaner.

She gasped, and her fingers curled, finding only cold wood to hold.

Smack, smack, smack. “You disobeyed us, Sally.” Smack. Smack. Smack. “Didn’t you ask us to take you on?” He paused.

Oh God, he really did plan to punish her. Her breath shuddered into her lungs as his words registered. She’d been the one to ask them. “Y-yes, Sir. I did.”

Smack, smack, smack. “Where we come from, submissives obey their Doms. Is it different in Florida?”

The pain crept in; the blows blurred together, leaving the burn and pain behind. He’d paused so she could answer. What could she say? She hadn’t even tried to obey them. She closed her eyes, feeling like a failure. I’m sorry. Don’t be mad…please. I didn’t mean to make you mad. “No, Sir. I should have obeyed you.”

Smack, smack, smack. “Since we’re just getting to know each other, I’m not all that upset. Or disappointed.”

Her relief actually overcame the pain for a second. Don’t hate me. Please don’t hate me.

“We try not to give many orders. But you’ll learn that we take obedience seriously.”

Smack, smack, smack.

Tears prickled at the back of her eyes. He’d been so good to her. Caring for her after she’d been hurt. “Ready to get off the floor, sweetie?” Holding her so gently after the nightmares. So patient. And look how she’d rewarded him.

Smack, smack, smack.

“If you disobey, you get punished. And not in a sexy, fun way. Is that clear?”

Fire bit into her skin. She tried to blink the tears away; the pain was coming from her heart as well as her skin. “Yes, Sir.”

After setting the paddle on the table, he rubbed her bottom. His hand felt cool against her burning skin.

With a long sigh, she let herself relax. That was it. Not so bad—except for the shame simmering deep inside her. The worry that he’d find her too much trouble.

He could easily find someone who’d work hard to please him. A good submissive.

She let out a breath. She should be relieved that this hadn’t been so bad. Not a deterrent at all. Was that good? Some submissives worried about upsetting their Doms, knowing they’d get an ass walloping nasty enough to make them think twice about—

“Up you go, sweetheart.” Vance helped her stand. Rather than pulling her into his arms for some after comforting, he rose. With a cop’s grip around her upper arm, he led her across the room to Galen.

“Warm-up finished. All yours.” Vance’s words didn’t register for a moment, not until Galen stood up.

Warm-up? That was a warm-up? And Galen would… She shrank back against Vance.

The corner of Galen’s mouth tipped up. “This is the difference between playing at the club and actually having a Dom. Your own Doms will take disobedience a bit more seriously. Because they care enough to make you obey.”

Your own Doms. The phrase ran like liquid sunshine over Sally’s soul before her mind scrambled back behind her defenses. “Are you saying you’ll beat on me because you care?”

Galen’s black gaze softened. “Actually, yes.” He stroked her cheek with his fingertips, holding her gaze with his.

Her breathing stopped. He cared. For me?

And then he took a step back. “Bend over the bed. Rest your weight on your forearms.”

Oh fuck fuck fuck. As she complied, her arms sank down into the puffy blue quilt. The bed was low, positioning her bottom higher.

“Move your feet out.”

She inched her bare feet outward. The position lowered her butt slightly but put more weight on her arms and made it more difficult to stand. More helpless.

He picked up a thin rattan cane. “All right, pet. I’m not going to count. I will continue until I think you’re properly repentant.”

“But I am. I—”

His sigh was loud. “Don’t bother to talk to me. I’m not sure you even know what true remorse means.”

The first slash of the cane struck her bottom and it hurt, blasting across her skin like fire.

No! She tried to stand and realized Vance sat at the foot of the bed. His hand curled over her nape, holding her in place.