Oops. His gaze never left hers as she pulled in a measured breath and let it out.

“Better. Another.” His grip on her upper arm was unyielding but not painful. A man’s hand.

Why did his touch seem different from Nathan’s? Why didn’t she get that horrible dread?

“Little fluff, I want you to remember how you’re breathing now. When I tighten a clamp, it will hurt for a few seconds. I want you to inhale through the pain like you did with your fear.”

“Pain? But—”

“Do you get flu shots?”

“Yes.” When his eyebrows pulled together, she added a hasty, “My liege.”

“This is the same level of pain, although people rarely get turned on by vaccinations. Whereas nipple clamps…” A crease appeared and disappeared in his cheek.

She nodded to say she could handle that much pain. But could she handle these disconcerting flares of heat? Her nipples actually tingled as if anticipating the touch of those powerful fingers.

Was this the kind of thing Nathan had wanted to do with her? Guilt pressed on her chest. Considering he had dumped her, she shouldn’t feel as if she were betraying him. But she did. And she’d let a complete stranger restrain her. Alice had fallen down a hole into Wonderland; Abby had fallen into quicksand and was sinking fast. What am I doing here?

Xavier hadn’t moved, was simply watching her. “What’s the matter, Abby?”

“I don’t know you at all. You’re talking about…” Nipple clamps. “I don’t know you.”

“I see.” His hand was still curved around her upper arm as he moved closer. With his fingers under her chin, he lifted her face and gave her a light kiss. His lips were firm but velvety. Gentle. How could someone with such a merciless face kiss so sweetly?

When he lifted his head, she whispered, “Why did you do that?”

His aftershave was totally masculine with a hint of the exotic, like a pirate who’d visited India. He rubbed his thumb in a circle over her cheek, his lips only an inch from hers. “Because I can,” he whispered back. Then he smiled. “Because I’m going to be touching you much more intimately in a moment.”

Heat roared through her at the thought of his hands…elsewhere.

“Think of this as an introduction. I’m Xavier.” He covered her mouth with his, and it wasn’t a gentle, sweet kiss any longer. He took her lips, demanding a response. When she pulled at the restraints and gasped, his tongue swept in. She couldn’t move, couldn’t escape, and…

He stepped back, grasping her arms to keep her steady. Ravished by only a kiss, she stared at him. Her lips felt swollen, and she ran her tongue over them.

A flicker of heat lit his eyes, followed by amusement. “Are we better acquainted now?”

Her voice came out sounding as if he’d strangled her instead of kissing her. “Yes, my liege.” If he introduced himself like that at a faculty party, the floor would be littered with swooning academics.

“Very good.” With far-too-competent hands, he undid the first hook on her corset. As he worked his way down, his long fingers brushed the skin between her full breasts. Each undone fastening exposed more of her body, and coolness wafted over her damp flesh. When he finished, he set the corset to one side, leaving her bare from the waist up.

She bit her lip. Really, this is nothing. In France, beaches were filled with women wearing no tops. Not that she had joined them, but… She took a mental step back. Observe. With a determined breath, she checked out a noisy spanking in the center of the room.

A warm hand cupped her breast.

She jumped, tried to pull away. “What are you doing?”

He grasped her arm with his other hand, holding her in place. “Did you think you could get clamps without being touched by the Dom?” Even as he spoke, he stroked her breasts, one then the other. His palm was calloused, slightly abrasive. His thumb circled the areola, and her nipple bunched hard enough to create an ache.

She tried to dissociate, to observe the other scene.

“Eyes on me, Abby.” The softness of his voice didn’t negate the command.

The intensity of his gaze sent a shudder up her spine. He tugged on her nipple, and she inhaled hard at the reverberating sensations—the rush of pleasure at his touch, echoed by another in her groin.

“You have beautiful breasts.”

She blinked at the sweet compliment.

He didn’t look away as he said, “Rainier, as with most play, you should warm up the skin first. Get the blood circulating. Especially with your submissive, you want her aroused first, or she’ll only feel the pain.” He rolled Abby’s nipple between his fingertips, and the sensation almost sent her up on her toes.

“You can massage or suck nipples to long points. Be aware that with smaller breasts, wetness can cause clamps to slide. I prefer either tweezer clamps or adjustable alligator clamps, until I discover the sensitivity of the submissive’s breasts and the amount of pain she enjoys.” He picked up what looked like a metal spring clothespin with a screw in the center. The ends had a black coating.

When he chuckled, she realized she was staring at the device.

He put the clamp on her nipple.

Oh, that’s not so bad.

Then he played with the screw, and the jaws closed more tightly. “If you know your submissive well, you can simply watch her for clues.” Another slight turn and the sensation increased to a pinch. He brushed a finger over her compressed lips.

“However, at first, you should check verbally.” He lifted her chin with a finger and held her gaze. “On a scale of one to ten, where ten is unendurable, how much does this hurt?”

The pinching sensation was easing. “Four, I guess.”

“Very good.” To her horror, he tightened the clamp, and she squeaked as the pinch turned to a bite. “Breathe through it, Abby.”

She tried to get her hands around, to pull the damn thing off, only her arms were restrained behind her back. She couldn’t do anything. Her breast hurt. Then the pain diminished. The pinch gradually changed to throbbing, and her nipple felt…bigger, tighter. Every movement made her more aware of the sensation—and the way her clitoris had begun to ache as well.

Xavier squeezed her shoulder in a comforting massage before glancing at Rainier. “Since you’re not a sadist, this is far enough until you know what works for your submissive. You want her engaged in processing the sensations, unable to escape them, but not quite sure how much it hurts.” He smiled at her. “Next one, Abby.”

Owwwww. She’d braced for the pain, yet her eyes teared, making her contact lenses swim. But this time she worked her breathing, and it helped. As the pinch gentled to throbbing, she felt slickness between her legs. Thank heavens she’d worn a skirt and wasn’t bare-bottomed like some women. No one needed to know this had turned her on.

A finger stroked over her cheek. “See the color here and on her lips? How her breathing is fast and shallow, even though the pain has decreased? The fondling aroused her. The clamps added to it.”

A tidal wave of heat rushed into her face.

His chuckle was low and dark. “She’s also easily embarrassed.”

The other Dom laughed.

“Once the clamps are on, you can play,” Xavier said. “Add a reminder of who is in charge.” His long fingers combed her hair. “Your hair is like dandelion silk, pet,” he murmured before his hand closed, trapping the strands. He firmly pulled her head back until she stared up at him, her throat exposed.

A sudden tug on one breast clamp sent a jolt of pain through her. She gasped, struggling instinctively to get her hands free. She couldn’t even move her head with Xavier fisting her hair.

“Helplessness is frightening to some women. Exciting to others.”

He tugged on her other nipple enough to hurt, yet as she struggled she realized that her panties were truly wet. That she wanted sex more than she ever had in her whole life.

“I think Abby finds it exciting.”

Oh sweet heavens, she was making an idiot of herself. Stiffening, she tried to step back and got nowhere.

Unmoving, Xavier watched her with an eagle’s predatory gaze. He glanced at the other Dom. “That enough to start with?”

“It is. Thank you, Xavier. I screwed up.”

“We all do,” Xavier said. “Talk to her. An apology doesn’t diminish your authority.” He released Abby’s hair and stroked the strands back down. “Remember to leave breast clamps on only a short time—fifteen minutes or less—until you assess her endurance. If on very long, they’ll hurt more coming off than going on.”

“Got it.”

Trying to distance herself from the sensations flowing through her, Abby gritted her teeth. She couldn’t let herself get diverted from making her observations. She turned her attention to a different scene where a man was restrained on a Saint Andrew’s cross. But…why was an X-shaped piece of equipment called a cross? Have to do some more research. The female Domme had two floggers that swirled and slapped the man’s shoulders in an amazing display of coordination.

A gawky person like Abby would probably hit herself in the face.

“Xavier, I had a question.” A tall, stunning Domme approached.

“One second, Angela.” His calloused hands closed on Abby’s shoulders. “Kneel, pet, while I talk to Mistress Angela.”

Kneel? She stared at him in outrage.

His expression didn’t change, but he gave her a look.

The pit of her stomach dropped, and her knees bent like thin wire. Halfway to the floor, she lost her balance.

He caught her and lowered her easily.

Way to show how graceful you are, moron. Totally humiliated, she settled down with her bottom resting on her feet.

“That’s right. Spine straight. Eyes down. Knees farther apart. We’ll work more on your form later.”

How could she straighten a spine that seemed to have disappeared?

“I’ve never seen one of your submissives with so many clothes,” Angela remarked.

“Receptionist in training,” Xavier said. “And new to the scene as well.”

“Gorgeous skin.”

“Yes.”

Abby felt her gorgeous skin turning pink. As the two talked quietly, Abby waited, slowly becoming far too aware of how each breath made the clamps move, fixing her attention on her breasts. Of how aroused she was. She prayed she wasn’t wet enough to soak her skirt.

“Thank you, Xavier.”

Abby looked up, and Angela smiled at her before she walked away.

After setting Abby on her feet, Xavier glanced at his watch. “I’m going to release you. Then I’ll answer your questions and give you the rules.” He lifted her left breast, his warm palm supporting the weight.

She closed her eyes, acutely aware—again—of being half-naked. Of how nonchalantly he touched her. Need churned through her veins. Please don’t let him be able to tell.

“This might hurt as the blood returns.” He undid the clamp and put it in a container in his leather bag.

She had a second of thinking he’d exaggerated before blood surged into her nipple in an explosion of pain. After the first fist-inducing surprise, the sensation subsided. Pulling in a slow breath, she nodded that she was all right.

He had an interesting smile. Not slow, but…deliberate. The left corner of his mouth rose a little higher than the right, the crease on that side deeper. His approval warmed her to her toes.

After he removed the second clamp—and she breathed through the wave of pain—he ran a finger around each areola. The intense rush of sensation over the burning, tender skin curled her toes.

“Look how pretty your nipples are now. I’ve never seen this shade of pink before.”

Her gaze focused on his darkly tanned hand lifting her breast for her to see. Her nipples, normally just a blush of color, were now a hot pink. Her face heated—again. Honestly, she hadn’t wanted the reminder of her nudity.

“Beautiful.” His voice was almost as dark as his skin, low and resonant, with a hint of an accent too faint to identify. With a pair of blunt-ended scissors from his bag, he snipped the tape around her wrists.

Free, free, free. The trickle of disappointment was unsettling. Surely she hadn’t wanted him to continue.

“Move your arms slowly,” he cautioned. After she stretched for a minute, he massaged the last ache out of her joints.

It felt…nice. As if, since she’d done as he wanted, now he’d care for her in turn. “Thank you. Sir.”