I could barely drive myself home I was shaking so badly. This was exactly what I wanted and yet I was so shaken by it.

Seeing Leda lying beneath me, her eyes wide with fright, the way she’d clung to me when she came, it was surreal. 

As I pulled my car up into the garage, I felt a strange coldness grip me. I couldn’t explain it. I should be elated after what happened with Leda, but something was nagging inside me. I couldn’t place it. I threw the car into park and sat there staring down at the steering wheel. I found myself drifting back as I continued to sit in the car hearing the rain lightly pelting the roof overhead.

 

Pushing open the door, my eyes filled with horror. He was lying there with a hole in his leg blood trickling onto the carpet staining it dark red. As I approached him, I hoped he was dead. 

Suddenly, my mother appeared behind me.

“He’s not dead, he’s not dead.” She kept repeating. 

Indeed, he wasn’t. His chest was rising and falling steadily. He’d merely passed out after another drunken binge. 

“Mom, did you…did you shoot him?” My words echoed throughout the room. 

She nodded.

“It was an accident,” she whispered.

A new wave of dread washed over me. What would happen now? Would Robert wake up find that his beloved wife had shot him? Would we finally get to go live with our dad again?

Or would Robert be even more evil?

As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Several hours later, Robert awoke to find he had been shot. Needless to say, the aftermath wasn’t good for my mother or my sister and me. I endured many more years of his violence until my father finally rescued us.

Rescued me.

My mother remained with Robert, but my sister and I went to live with him when I was 14. 

The year I turned 18, a great many things changed. My father took me to Seven telling me how I was to become the Master Dom someday. 

The day I finally took a woman through my own seven circles. 

Tears blurred my vision as I recalled how proud my father had been of his legacy. He’d handed me the keys to the Throne Room and told me it would be all mine someday. 

I was 38 years old and had never brought a woman through all seven of my circles. The only reason I was the Master Dom now was because of my father’s sudden death. He never lived long enough to see me earn the keys for myself. 

Failure clung to me reminding me of how disappointed my father must’ve been of me. 

But Leda, she stood to change it all for me. She was going to be the one to complete all seven of my circles. I was certain of it.

* * *

 The sharp ring of my phone woke me up. I struggled to sit up in bed grabbing my phone.

It was Wade.

Why the hell would he be calling me at 3 AM?

Leda!

“Colt, man, you need to get over here.”

“It’s Leda? What’s wrong?”

“She’s…she’s in a bad way. I’ve never seen her like this before. I’m sorry to talk out of turn, but you’ve got to help her, Colt.”

I sighed.

“Of course, I’ll be right over.”

I tossed a t-shirt over my head and pulled on a pair of jeans. 

In less than a half hour, I was at Leda’s door. A sleepy looking Chastity opened the door where Wade stood behind her. He glared at me as they showed me to Leda’s room.

“Leda? It’s Colt.” I gently rapped on the door before opening it.

She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes.

“Colt? What are you doing here?”

I sat on the bed next to her the springs of the bed squeaking in protest.

“Wade called me. He said you’re not doing so well.” I stared at her. She looked as beautiful as she had a few hours ago. She’d apparently been sleeping, so I was lost as to why Wade had called.

Until she reached her hand out to me. Her wrist was bandaged with white gauze. 

She’d been cutting.

“Leda, what did you do?”

“I couldn’t help it. I tried not to, Colt.”

“I thought we had a good time earlier?”

“We did. It was just…I felt so good I felt ashamed of it. I had to punish myself.” She looked down trying to slip her wrist from my grip, but I held her firmly.

Tenderly, I brought her wrist to my lips.

“Leda, I will be the one to punish you. Never are you to cut yourself again. Do you understand me?” I narrowed my eyes. I wanted her to know I meant business.

She nodded slowly.

“Colt, can you stay here with me? Just for tonight?”

Glancing around her small room, I couldn’t picture myself sleeping in the tiny, cramped quarters. Wade and Chastity were just outside the room. 

It wasn’t right.

“Leda, throw a few things into a bag. I’m taking you to my place tonight.”

Eagerly, she jumped up and soon we were off to my place.

* * *

 As soon as we hit the door, we were in each other’s arms. My lips met hers passionately as I devoured her. She was so sweet like melting honey. My hands roamed her body feeling all her scars and loving her even more because of them.

Leda’s breath came hot and fast as she wrapped her arms about me. I hit the dimmer switch dimming the lights in the room to a soft glow. Her body was glorious as I stripped her pink dress off of her tossing it to the side. Her red lacy panties were soaked as I hooked my thumbs in them yanking them off. 

Kissing my way down her body, I knelt in front of her. My hands gripped her ass firmly pressing her to my face. Inhaling her sweet scent, I gazed up at her blue eyes feeling her pain dying to come to the surface.

She needed me to punish her. She couldn’t wait any longer.

My cock lurched as I stood up to go to my closet. I reached my hand in to draw out a black leather flogger. 

Immediately, Leda bent over the bed anxious to feel the flogger touch her flesh. 

“Colt, should we? I thought we weren’t supposed to do this outside Seven.”

I shook my head pulling my belt off.

“I don’t really give a fuck right now.” I growled.

She was on the bed on her hands and knees as I drew my hand back to lash her with the flogger. 

As the leather made contact with her flesh, she jumped throwing her head back in ecstasy.

Over and over again, I lashed her with my flogger. I adored feeling her flesh twitch as I spanked her. I could feel myself falling into her, relishing her sweet pain.

As I continued lashing her, I felt myself leave my body. I was overhead observing us both seeing how her pain soothed my own, how hurting her healed me. It both frightened and excited me. 

Suddenly, I realized how I looked. A tall, well muscled man beating a frail, sexy woman. 

Was I sick?

Was I, in fact, a sadist?

Perhaps.

My arm ached as my cock pulsed still delivering blows to her ass. Her flesh was turning bright red and blood began to ooze from her wounds making my cock even harder.

She moaned loudly, but still never uttered her safe word. There was a loud crash of thunder breaking me out of my reverie.

“Oh my God,” I whispered realizing I’d broken the most sacred rule of Seven.

“Leda,” I uttered her name as I tossed the flogger down. I ran my hands tenderly over her bruised and bleeding ass. She shuddered at my touch arching her back.

“Are you okay?” I lovingly caressed her back tracing my finger lightly over each cut.

“I’m fine, Colt.” She was nearly swooning as she turned back to me. Quickly, I raced to the bathroom to get my first aid kit to attend to her wounds. 

After they were dressed, I laid her back on the bed.

“Leda, that was so intense. I’ve never felt like this before.”

“Me neither.” Her breath was hot and fast. She rolled over to caress the lashes on her ass.

Silence hung in the air as we both gazed at each other. This was right, this was going to work.

She would be the one to complete my circles.

To complete me.

* * *

 Walking into Seven, I knew what was awaiting me. My stomach coiled as I envisioned the scene I’d been a part of many times. All the Doms of Seven stood around as the unfortunate Dom was beaten. He had to be stripped, shackled, and humiliated before the others to atone for his sins.

And now it was my turn.

Perspiration dripped down my forehead as I walked slowly up the stairs. This was to take place in the Punishment Room, a room reserved only for Doms. 

Doms who had broken the rules.

I’d stood back watching as other Doms had been lashed with whips. I’d even held a whip in my own hand flogging others without mercy.

Now as my hand twisted the door knob I walked inside. 

Holding my breath, I took a step into the room. It was dimly lit with candles all around. Every Dom of Seven stood wearing a ceremonial black robe and holding a black leather whip in his hands.

“Master Dom, come in.”

Hearing those words, I felt faint. The door slammed shut behind me. Falling to the floor before the Doms, I shook as I held my wrists back to be shackled.

Closing my eyes, I felt the restraints tightened around my wrists. I had already stripped down to my shorts as I leaned forward. Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I awaited their words.

“Master Dom Colt, you have violated the most sacred rule of Seven. Your punishment is ten lashings one for each you administered to your Initiate outside of the club.”

I nodded.

“Very well, Master Dom Colt. The punishment will commence now.”

I turned to glance up at them all holding their whips just inches from striking me. I looked into Dom Rafe’s eyes and saw a flash of someone familiar. The same evil glint Robert had in his eyes gleamed from his. I shuddered as I bit down on my lip.

The whip bit into my flesh causing me to cry out despite my promise to myself not to. I could feel him, Robert, behind me. 

Just like he was years ago.

I’d never be away from him.

It would never be over.