This was unlike any tent Autumn had ever seen. Not only was it bigger than her kitchen and living room put together but there was the pass through for the bathroom. Plus, there was a mirror so she could look at herself stuffed into the harem girl costume that was about two sizes too small, but made her feel so very sexy.

“You look incredible,” Shawn said from behind her. “Do you know how to dance?”

“I can line dance,” she said with a laugh. “Or the Texas Two-Step. But other than that, no.”

“Not even the waltz?”

“Nope.” She ran her fingers over her hips. The belt of the costume, and the bra, were made of heavy purple brocade. The gauzy pieces were sheer. “I thought these outfits were always full of jewels.”

“Not for what I have in mind.” Shawn ran his fingers over her shoulders. “Go and lie down on the table, please, on your back.”

His instructions made her relax. If she was on her back he couldn’t spank her, which saved her bottom from more abuse. Something told her this would be fun. She cocked her head. “Is this play acting? Am I supposed to be a harem girl, or a submissive dressed like one?”

“You’re supposed to get on the table like I asked,” he said. “Good submissives, and harem girls, behave themselves.”

Autumn crossed to the table. She climbed onto the padded bench and sat down, working to calm her breathing.

“Lie back,” he said. She hated that he could make a command sound so sweet. She did as he instructed, then moaned softly as he bound her legs and arms to the bench.

“You’ve changed your tune about being tied up,” he said.

She was afraid to tell him she’d changed her tune about everything.

“Shall I tell you why?” he said.

“Oh, please analyze me,” she said, working hard to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “I can’t believe that’s what you have in mind when I’m half naked… Sir. That’s hard on my ego.”

Shawn crouched down near her head. “Hush, or I’ll leave you tied here for hours while I take care of business on my own. It’s a very special type of punishment to be left hanging, with no orgasm in sight.”

“That is cruel,” she said. She was already wet and ready for action. He stood and leaned over her, her head pressing into his groin area as he ran his hands up and down her body. He kneaded her breasts and she gave herself over to his touch. Today it was soft and gentle. He didn’t pinch or grab or bite this time, and she hated to admit that she was a little disappointed by the softness of his caress.

“You look delectable,” he said. “Tell me, do you think sultans tied up their harem girls?”

“Doubtful,” she said.

“Why do you not think so?” He traced her nipples with the tip of his index fingers.

“Because harem girls are required to do as their owner wants, right? They wouldn’t need ropes.”

“Maybe they used the ropes for fun,” he countered. He flicked his fingers over her nipples, which were harder than rocks.

“Maybe.”

“Surely you don’t think kinky stuff came into play in the last century or so,” he said.

“You think Victorians tied each other up?” she asked. She struggled against her bonds. “This is a great conversation, but…”

“But what?” He leaned over so his face was right above hers, his mouth at her eyelevel. “Are you hot, apprentice? You’ve been a bad girl, you know. I haven’t heard the word Sir in a while.”

Hadn’t he? When was the last time she called him that?

“I apologize, Sir,” she said.

“Now, she remembers,” he said. “I think we need to work on you doing it without being reminded. What do you say?”

“As you wish, Sir,” she said.

“I love hearing that word come out of your mouth,” he said.

From her position she watched as Shawn unzipped tent pieces, the top falling down to reveal mesh in the top, opening the tent up to the now dark evening sky. Some stars twinkled above her, and Autumn smiled. The sight was stunning, and the desert air, cooling off beautifully as the night deepened, drifted into the tent.

“So beautiful,” he said.

“Yes, Sir, it is,” she said.

“I meant you.” He leaned over and kissed her, pressing his lips against hers as if he were trying to take away the air from her lungs. When it broke she breathed heavily in an effort to recapture her body, which seemed to shake now.

“I’m going to play with you, apprentice,” he said.

“Thank you, Sir,” she whispered.

“I’m going to make you cry with need, and scream for release.” His lips moved against hers while he spoke.

“I want that, Sir,” she said. The more aroused she became, the easier it was to call him Sir. She wasn’t sure why, but the word just seemed to slip off her lips now.

“What will you do for me, apprentice?” he asked.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Whatever I want,” he said. He licked her lower lip. “What if I told you to suck my cock?”

“I’d open my mouth,” she said. She’d told him already that she wasn’t very skilled at that particular activity. “Will you teach me how to please you that way?”

“That and so much more,” he said. He licked her lower lips again. “Do you want to begin, apprentice?”

Hadn’t they already started? She thought they had, obviously, she was wrong. Her mind drifted to the two men she’d shared a bed with in her lifetime. Lovemaking sessions with them lasted all of ten, maybe fifteen minutes. With Shawn you never really knew how long things would last.

“I’d like your full attention, apprentice,” he said. “What do I need to do to gain it?”

“You have it,” she said.

“Wrong.” He traced his finger along her shoulder and up her neck to her jawline. “You are a million miles away. Either you come back to me or I walk, now. That’s your choice.”

“I don’t want you to leave, Sir. I promise, you have my full attention.” She moved her head a little to the left and savored the feel of his hands on her bare skin.

Once again, he put his lips next to her ear. “Look up.” She did as he asked. “Do you see all those stars, apprentice? One of these days, when you’re old and remembering your life, you’ll look up at those stars and remember the times I helped you to visit every one of them.”

Her eyes watered at the idea of living out his words. She wanted to ask if he would be there next to her while she was remembering their time together. But she knew she couldn’t do it. They were doing this as an experiment, nothing more.

“Hopefully, I’ll make it long enough to have those memories,” she said.

“You will,” he said. “An active sex life is crucial to a long life. And I plan on us being very active.”

Wow, he answered her question without her asking the question. She kept her thoughts to herself as he stood and started to caress her shoulders one more time.

The air in the tent grew colder, but it was his touch that made her shiver.

“Excitement? Or are you cold?”

“I was just thinking how I could tell the staff at the nursing home how one night I was tied to a bench in the middle of the desert.”

He chuckled, and then he grabbed her breasts, found her nipples and twisted.

Autumn cried out in pain and arched her back as far as her restraints would allow. He pinched her again.

“I love watching you,” he said. “How does that feel?”

“Hurts,” she whispered, and then as an afterthought said, “Sir.”

He pinched them once more. Autumn bit her lip to keep from crying out again.

“When I told you to get on your back you seemed very happy,” he said. “Why?”

“Because you wouldn’t be able to spank me,” she said.

He chuckled, and she shivered. “You’re so cute, thinking the only thing I can spank is your bottom.”

He moved away from her. She cocked her head to watch as he started to dig through a box. When he pulled out a flogger her breath caught in her throat.

“That’s not… I mean… wait, Sir.”

There was a whirring noise and the bench started to lower. He moved between her legs, and when the bench stopped he said, “You’re a much better target from this angle.”

Autumn stiffened in response. He had a flogger in his hand.

“Don’t do that,” he said.

“What, be afraid?”

“I don’t want you to be afraid,” he said. He moved so that he was at her side. “I would never do anything to hurt you, not in the way you’re thinking. The pain I’ve given you has provided pleasure. Trust me to continue doing that.”

He was right, and it made her relax a little, but not as much as he probably would have liked. She unclenched her hands.

“If you’re tense it takes away from the pleasure.” He lifted the flogger over her stomach and gently traced her bare skin with the strands. “Remember what I said about earning your stripes. You don’t start out with a harsh flogging.”

The tension was slowly leaving her body as he gently ran the flogger up and down her body. He traced her breasts and ran it over her pussy. There were two lamps in the tent, just enough for her to see Shawn. He started to move around her, keeping the flogger on her body as he walked.

“It feels good,” she said.

“This is nothing,” he said. “Remember what I said about the stars?” He was back between her legs again. Autumn nodded. “Today is the first trip.”

He slapped the flogger against her pussy. Autumn held her breath as the pain swept through her. The second swat was harder, and the third made her cry out, something she’d worked hard not to do.

“Not fun,” she said.

“Hush,” he said. He slapped her pussy repeatedly, none of the strikes as hard as the third one, the one that had brought tears to her eyes. In fact, the more he slapped her pussy the more her body responded. Her clit tightened, and her nipples were like little pearls.

Her hips seemed to wiggle of their own accord, and to her amazement she moaned in pleasure and murmured, “More, please.”

“It will be my pleasure,” he said. The strikes increased in intensity. Autumn closed her eyes and let the vibrations freely flow through her body. She’d never thought she would enjoy pain, but then again pain had never felt like this.

Shawn increased the force one more time. Autumn bucked against her bonds. The strands didn’t come into direct contact with her bare pussy, which was still a little sensitive from being denuded.

She was a little concerned that he hadn’t paid that much attention to the fact she’d followed his instructions so closely.

The spanking stopped abruptly, and Autumn moved her hips in an effort to encourage him to continue.

“You like it,” he said. “Wait until I use harder leather. You’ll love that. The strikes are much harsher then.”

“What—what—are you using—now?” She swallowed hard. It was hard to speak. Her body needed release.

“This is suede,” he said. “It provides just enough sting to let you know what it feels like. You like it, I can tell by your reaction.”

“Yes,” she said. Was a simple yes enough of an answer, or should she tell him that she really liked it? She liked it enough that she wanted to beg for more. But she wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He was supposed to do the teaching, and students didn’t ask for more lessons, did they?

He was beside her now, leaning over so their lips were inches apart. “Do you want to fuck, apprentice?”

“Yes, Sir,” she said.

“Well, we have a situation then,” he kissed her gently.

“What sort of situation?” she asked.

“I want to fuck, too, but I want to slide my dick between your impressive tits,” he said. “I’m sure you want my dick somewhere else.”

“Yes, in my pussy, Sir.” She was starting to like this Sir stuff. It added something to their play that made her enjoy it more than anything in the past.

“So, you see our dilemma?” he asked.

“Just fuck me,” she said, “please, Sir.”

“Sounds divine. I’ll fuck you my way,” he said. He popped her breasts free of the bra, which was really no more than a frame. The table whirled and lifted. Shawn straddled the table, his butt resting on her stomach.

He lowered his face to her breasts, licking first one than the other, his tongue trailing through the valley in between them. He licked and nibbled and sucked at her nipples, his teeth leisurely making tracks around her areolas. She bucked her hips and whimpered as he continued to tease her.

“I’m sorry, is something wrong?” he asked.

“Sir, please.” She could hear the tears in her voice, and it made her wince. This experiment was going much farther than she’d ever expected.

“Please what, apprentice?”

“Fuck me,” she said.

He pushed her breasts together. She heard the squishy, wet sound as they joined, and she knew the moisture had come from his mouth. When his cock slid into the well between her tits she watched his face. The look of pure bliss made her juices flow more.

He fucked her slowly, and she loved that he enjoyed using her body in this way. But she wanted him between her legs. She bucked her hips, afraid that she’d done it once too often and he wouldn’t be happy about it.

“Someone’s needy,” he said. “I wonder what we can do about that.”

“You can fuck me—Sir,” she said.

He was off her in a shot, and she wanted the use of her hands, wanted to reach out and touch him. But he was between her legs now, and he wasn’t standing there, preparing to enter her. He was messing with something on the table. Was he fixing it so she could spread her legs wider? She hoped so. She needed him inside her, now.

But when something slipped into her, she knew it wasn’t him. It was hard, but it was not made of flesh.

“It’s not exactly the biggest dildo I bought in Vegas, but it will fill you nicely,” he said.

“What is making it—” Oh damn, it felt good.

“Making it fuck you?” He traced his fingers over her stomach. “The bench has a built-in mechanism, like that of a fucking machine. It runs on batteries. Now, it’s time for me to get back to what I want.”

He straddled her once again. Before he pressed her breasts back together he attached clamps to her nipples. They were metal, but had plastic coverings. The bite was there, but it wasn’t hard. There was a chain between them. He mounted her again and started to slide his dick in and out of the space between her breasts as the dildo worked in and out of her pussy.

He let her breasts fall apart a few times, and the pull between the nipple clamps hurt, but not enough to make her cry out again. The sensations were almost overwhelming, and she wondered how much of it she could take. It was almost as if she were out of her body, because she felt as if the world was spinning faster and faster.

“What was that you said?” Shawn had stopped moving. He looked down at her. The machine between her legs continued to work.

“Too much,” she said. “I—too much.”

“No, it’s not,” he said. “You want to quit too soon. Relax and enjoy what is happening.”

He started to move again, stopping every once in a while to pull on the chain. He was sliding up as the dildo slid down. Her body was on fire; Autumn stared up at the stars, which seemed to twinkle as the action continued.

Shawn moved faster and faster, and when his hot liquid slid around her throat she closed her eyes and turned her head. Shawn’s weight lifted from her body, and when his mouth clamped onto her clit and his teeth worked their painful magic she came, faster than she’d ever thought possible. The stars above her twinkled, or were the bright lights from the incredible orgasm she’d just had? No, it was definitely from Shawn. The orgasm had been perfect, and she moaned softly. She wanted another one, and another one, and another one. The dildo slowed, and Shawn licked her pussy, which throbbed from the spanking, the fucking and the biting.

“Delicious,” he said as he stood. “You did good shaving yourself.”

“Thank you,” she managed to say.

His fingers massaged her mound, and the dildo slid out of her. “You want things to end too quickly,” he said. “When sensations start to build you need to give yourself over to them, not be afraid of what is going to happen. We need to work on that.”

“Okay,” she said.

He slapped her mound and she cried out. “Let’s get cleaned up and go to sleep. We have lots of things to do tomorrow to see if we can find the money.”

“And the necklace,” she whispered sleepily. “Let’s not forget about the necklace.”

“Didn’t you like the one I gave you tonight?”

Autumn giggled. “That’s not something you can put in a safety deposit box.” She glanced up at him as he worked to undo the bonds on her arms. “But I’m not much of a jewelry person. That’s the first one I’ve ever received, and I have to say that I rather enjoyed it.”

“That’s good to know,” he said. “Because it’s a gift you’re going to receive often from me. And it’s one you can’t return.”

He liked to cuddle, and she was very happy about that. After she’d been released from her bonds, he’d ordered her to stay on the table. He cleaned her whole body with a warm cloth. At first she’d wondered where he’d gotten it from, but after the first few moments she decided she didn’t care. All she knew was the attention he paid to her after their playtime made her feel loved and needed, something that had never happened to her before.

It frightened her just a bit since she knew their time together was just an experiment, and she wouldn’t be staying at Silver Creek. Once they found the money and collected the reward she would be back to buying storage sheds and hoping they had something in them that would make her money.

Autumn looked up at the stars, their light shining through the mesh at the top of the tent. Had she ever once in her life taken the time to look up, to study stars? No, she never had. She’d never been camping, and she’d told herself she would hate it because there wouldn’t be an indoor bathroom and she just wasn’t a nature girl.

But now she wanted to stay out here with Shawn for weeks. She would lie on the bench and take all the pussy spankings he wanted to give her. She snuggled into him but stayed on her back, staring up.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” he asked.

“Yes, they are.” She kissed his shoulder. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“I’m like most men, without energy right after I come,” he said.

“But you washed me,” she said.

“Which really took it out of me.” He turned onto his side, so they were facing each other. He kissed her, a gentle kiss that warmed her to her toes.

“How am I doing?” she asked.

“Incredibly well,” he said.

“But you’re taking it easy on me,” she said.

“Maybe.” He kissed her again. “Close your eyes.”

She did as he asked.

“Imagine yourself back at the resort, in the playroom,” he said.

Autumn shivered. “Are there people around besides you and me?”

“Shush, just listen and allow yourself to visualize what I’m describing.”

“Okay,” she said.

“You and I are in the playroom,” he said again. “You’re naked as the day you were born, your gorgeous body on display for me.”

She wanted to say gorgeous was not the word she would choose to describe her body. She was large and—shut up and listen, she said to herself. Shawn obviously doesn’t care that you are not stick thin.

“You’re wearing a thick, leather collar.”

He stopped speaking and she wondered if he was waiting for her to object. She didn’t.

“There’s a chain link lead hanging from the O ring.”

Once again, he paused.

“Don’t answer me right away on this next part,” he said. “I want you to think about it, very carefully. In fact, don’t answer me until the morning, right before we start our search. By then you’ll have had time to make your decision.”

Decision? What was he about to ask her? If it involved collars and leashes she needed more than just overnight to think about it. She thought this was some sort of fantasy thing that he was planning out as he went.

“There are three pieces of equipment in the room with us,” he said. “You’ve seen them, I’m sure. Or you’ve at least heard of them.”

She felt much better now. He wasn’t going to ask her to wear his collar. She wasn’t quite ready for that.

“There’s a St. Andrew’s Cross. You know what that is, right?”

She nodded

“There’s a fucking machine, much better than the one we used earlier this evening,” he said. “With this one we can plug both your holes at the same time.”

Her eyes widened at the idea, and she was glad that it was dark, and he couldn’t see her reaction.

“Don’t be shocked at the idea,” he said. “It will happen.”

She wanted to say it wouldn’t happen if they found the treasure tomorrow, and things were over by the end of the week.

“The third item is a box full of bondage equipment.” He leaned over and kissed her gently. “Now, think about which item you would select.”

“Is this just one scene, as you say, or am I selecting something that will become a favorite?”

“My apprentice, they will all become your favorite,” he said. “I just want to know which one you’d choose first. Think about it and tell me first thing in the morning.”

“As you wish,” she said.

He kissed her one more time and this time he gently licked at her lip. “Good night, apprentice. We need to sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

“And you’ve added a new chore to the day.”

“So, I have.” He settled onto his back and she snuggled into his side. Soon he was snoring, and Autumn sat there and dreamed, even though she was still awake.

She’d tried the spanking bench, and he’d tied her quite a bit. Both activities had been more than enjoyable. She tingled when she thought about the orgasms she’d experienced during those scenes, as he called them.

But what would it be like to be tied to a St. Andrew’s cross? Would it be the same as being bound to the spanking bench? Or was it something totally different? She didn’t have enough information about that piece of equipment to make a decision, really.

When she finally fell asleep she still hadn’t made a decision.