A hidden dungeon unfolded before her. The scent of leather permeated her senses as she skimmed a gaze over the numerous paddles, crops, and whips suspended by individual hooks along the wall. Every type of BDSM implement, from innocuous to frightening, was at Quinn’s disposal. There were several pieces of dungeon furniture, as well. A thickly padded table, spanking bench, and sturdy-looking suspension frame, but Ava’s eyes stilled on the massive St. Andrews cross, situated in the middle of the room.

Her mouth went dry. While she’d experienced some of the implements in private play with Quinn, like the flogger, nipple clamps, and crop, she’d only seen some of the other toys, like whips and quirts, used on other subs at Club Genesis.

A palpable wave of Dominance rolled from Quinn’s body, lending an air of formality to the atmosphere. Ava knew he’d purposefully acquired this special room for more than a relaxing session with a thuddy, heavy flogger followed by hours of lovemaking. He aimed to make their time together in the private dungeon serious and memorable.

A tiny shudder passed through her. Did she have the mettle to buck up and venture into the unknown without leaving claw marks on the drywall? She wasn’t sure, but she knew she had to try to meet his Dominant needs.

“Before we begin,” Quinn stated, placing his strong hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him. “I am pleased with you, princess. You bring me much joy and happiness, and the power you give me…well, I couldn’t be a prouder Master.”

She leveled him with a wide-eyed stare. Yes, he’d read every one of her insecurities as if she were an open book.

“This isn’t a test of your submission, my love. It’s simply an exploration of fantasies…yours and mine.”

His words were laced in wicked promise. A flutter of confidence began to bubble inside her. “I’d love nothing more than to make all your fantasies come true, Master.”

“Let’s see if we can do just that then, my precious princess.”

Quinn’s wide, satisfied smile sent her heart racing and a sense of triumph warming in her veins. He pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead, then led her across the room to the big, polished cross. Without a word, he wrapped her wrists in fleece-lined leather cuffs. Ava’s body trembled in anticipation. While he bound her ankles to the cross in another set of cuffs, she slightly mourned the loss of being bound by his soft rope. The ability to move her torso freely felt strange, and would take a bit of getting used to, but Ava sucked in a deep breath and focused on her cuffed limbs.

Peeking over her shoulder, she expected to see Quinn stripping out of his dress clothes, but instead she watched as he plucked several toys from their hooks. Stealing glances beneath her long lashes, she watched him place several items on the table beside her before he arched a brow in her direction.

“Eyes toward the front, princess. You don’t need to fret over the toys I’ve chosen. Your job is to relax and savor the pleasure I give you.” An eager smile kicked up the corners of his mouth. Moving in close, he cupped a hand to her nape, then softly massaged her tense muscles. “What is your safeword, my love?” he asked in a low, buttery voice.

“Bats.” Ava had chosen that specific word based on her phobia of the nasty, winged rats.

“Very good,” he praised in a loving tone. “I want you to close your eyes and relax while you open your mind. Focus on the sound of my voice and hand over your control to me, princess. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Ava issued a resolute nod, wondering when he was going to get naked. But Quinn simply remained behind her, kneading the knots from her neck and shoulders. She quickly realized he had no intention of following the patterns of the past… the systematic progression she’d grown accustomed to. She suddenly felt overexposed and uncomfortably vulnerable in a prickly way.

Relax and open your mind, he’d instructed. With an inward nod, she exhaled a calming breath. But when he stepped away, a palpable hum sang though her as she restlessly lingered…waiting for him to begin. Not knowing what he planned to do was driving her out of her mind.

* * *

Quinn trailed a long, slow gaze up and down Ava’s naked body. She was a vision of absolute beauty. He could have stared at her luscious body cuffed to the cross for the rest of his life. But then they’d both miss out on the pleasures he planned. Still, he found he couldn’t look away from the view of her stretched out…all that inviting pale flesh was a tempting canvas. She even still bore a hint of pink upon her supple ass cheeks. He found it impossible to keep from touching her again. Drawing his wide palms up and down the length of her back, Quinn began reinforcing the Dom/sub connection. Soothing and centering his girl, he branded her trust, absorbed her love, and treasured the power she relinquished all the way to his soul.

The musky scent emanating from her pussy filled his senses, making him edgy with need. Quinn continued to massage Ava’s shoulders and spine, feeling her tension melt beneath his fingers until she slumped against the wooden frame.

A tiny smile tugged at his lips. He was already losing her to the lure of subspace. He was often amazed how she tumbled off so quickly, but then most everything about Ava blew his mind. No other woman understood him the way Ava did. Quinn had been around the block enough to know this gorgeous creature splayed out before him held his future in her soft, slender hands.

Leaning in, he pressed a light kiss at the base of her neck. Closing his eyes, he savored the steady pulse of her heart upon his lips. Ava exhaled a soft and blissful sigh as she seemed to further float away. It was time to bring her back to the surface, at least for a little bit, before he allowed subspace to pull her away once more.

Plucking up the paddle lined with rabbit fur, Quinn weighed it in his palm. The wide, polished wood was heavy…heavy enough to snag her attention but not vicious enough to make her climb the cross. Drawing the paddle back, he landed a quick slap to her pink cheeks. With a gasp, Ava jerked before snapping her head his direction and pinning him with a wicked glare.

He bit back a grin and gave her another swat. “Is there a problem, princess?” he asked in a taunting, lyrical tone as he petted the fur side of the paddle over her orbs.

“No. You, uh, surprised me is all,” she replied nervously.

“And I thoroughly intend to keep surprising you, my love.”

“So you’ve said,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Oh, my sassy little minx,” Quinn chuckled. “That attitude will cost you.”

Ava groaned and turned her head back to the cross. While he loved her feisty, cheeky personality, he knew he’d been far too lenient with her in the past. Quinn didn’t bother trying to hide a grin as he watched her tighten her butt cheeks in anticipation of another swat. No doubt Ava was trying to gain a foothold, but she had no idea he intended to make that an impossible feat.

With the flick of his wrist, Quinn landed the paddle against her flesh once again before assuaging the burn with the soft, silky fur. In the past, he would have slowly warmed her up before setting her free to languish in subspace. He would have untied her from the stunning Shibari knots and made passionate love until they both drifted off to sleep…sweaty and sated. But not today. Quinn planned to ride the razor’s edge and push past her comfortable plateau.

Unbeknownst to Ava, the many meetings he’d attended outside the office over the past four weeks had instead been training sessions. He’d arranged for Mika LaBrache, owner of Club Genesis—the private BDSM club where Quinn had first laid eyes on Ava—to teach him how to throw a single tail. Mika had offered up his beautiful slave, Emerald, to bottom for Quinn once he’d learned to control the whip. That he’d put that much faith in Quinn’s abilities made him respect the dungeon owner even more.

Quinn continued caressing her backside with the fur. Reaching over, he lifted the thick, heavy flogger to remove the single tail hidden beneath it. Gripping the cool, plaited leather, he quickly inspected the new threaded popper at the end. Rolling his wrist, he swished the long leather tongue through the air, gaining a feel of its nature. Mika had taught Quinn on several different whips, explaining that each one had its own unique and individual demeanor. Once confident with the reach and temperament of the whip, Quinn raised his shoulder and flicked his wrist, causing a deliciously wicked crack to fill the air.

“What the fuck?” Ava screeched as she jerked her head toward the sound, sending the metal couplings of her cuffs to clank and clatter against the cross.

“What did you say?” Quinn asked in a low, menacing growl. “Did I give you permission to curse me?”

“No, Sir, but…what in the he…heavens are you planning to do with that?” she sputtered.

“Why, I’m going to use it on your ass. What else would I do with it?”

“Oh, no.” Ava shook her head adamantly. “I don’t do whips.”

“You do now,” he chuckled before clearing his throat and addressing her in a formidable and authoritative tone. “Unless you use your safeword. Is that what you want to do?”

Ava took several long seconds to ponder his question then pinched her lips together and shook her head.

“Good. Now face the front. Not another word unless you need to safeword out. Understood?”

Ava shot him a curt but resigned nod. Her eyes danced with the struggle to hold on to her sense of self versus relinquishing her power. The internal tug-of-war made his blood boil with pride. Quinn ached to coax every drop of her submission.

Damn…he was crazy in love with this woman.

A visible tension had returned to her body, and her subtle shiver told him that she was scared of the whip. And that was exactly where he wanted her…unsure and taken in by her own preconceived notions of pain the toy was capable of inflicting. Of course, she didn’t know any better, and it was up to him to enlighten her.

Shifting the whip to his left hand, Quinn reached back and gripped the heavy flogger from the table. With a loud thwack, he landed the wide leather tails across her ass. Ava jumped. No, that wasn’t what she’d expected, and it filled him with delight. As he rhythmically slapped the soft fronds over her shoulders, back, and butt, Ava once again slumped against the cross as kitten-like purrs slid from her lips.

Guiding Ava deeper and deeper to that serene place inside her, Quinn felt himself shift into a more compelling level of Dom space once more. Everything around him began to blur and disappear, everything except Ava. He settled his focus solely on her, watching as the recoil of the flogger nudged her onto her toes. Studying every breath she inhaled and exhaled while his arm directed the leather tassels like a conductor’s baton.

Once he had lured her into a false sense of security, Quinn replaced the flogger with the whip. Moving in close behind her, he snaked the cold, plaited leather between her shoulder blades. Ava sucked in a quick breath, and her body jerked as he yanked her out of her reverie. He leaned in against her back and nuzzled his face against her slender neck. Rubbing his jaw over her smooth flesh, he abraded her skin with the prickly scruff adorning his face. Her squeal of laughter echoed in his ears as she crimped her shoulders, trying to ward off his ticklish assault.

With a grin, Quinn cinched a hand in her hair, then jerked her head back. As he bathed her neck in soft kisses, biting and nipping his way up her silky flesh, Ava purred in delight. Her sweet sounds of surrender vibrated over his lips, making his eager cock jerk once again. It would be nothing short of a miracle if he didn’t come in his pants like a horny teen before this session was through. Gripping the flogger once more, Quinn landed the heavy tails over and over again, leading Ava back into the blissful depths of peace.

* * *

Lulled by the rhythmic thud of the flogger, her anxiety over the frightening whip bled from Ava’s system. She found comfort in the relaxing tempo, but every time Quinn paused, she held her breath. Poised to feel the cold, evil whip slide over her flesh again, she hoped he’d settle a sweet, enticing kiss upon her neck instead. Hands down, she preferred his kisses, but Quinn had her so off-balance she wondered if he intended to use the whip at all, or if he simply wanted to mind-fuck her to death.

You’re not thinking like a sub, her inner voice scoffed.

Ava truly wanted to settle into a proper state of mind. She could, too if Quinn would simply warm her up like he usually did and take her to the heavens. Unfortunately he had other things in mind, and dammit, she wanted to know what he planned to pluck out of his bag of tricks.

Suddenly, his warm breath breezed over the side of her neck. Ava closed her eyes. Yes. Yes. This is what she wanted…Quinn’s tender, loving, passionate side. She breathed in his reassuring masculine scent, and the ground beneath her grew stable, solid, and secure. Turning her head, she offered him her lips. But when he didn’t kiss her, Ava lifted her heavy eyelids. He stood staring at her. His sage-colored eyes had turned dark and permeated with a clit-throbbing hunger she wanted to satisfy.

“Expecting something, princess?” he taunted as a wicked smile of delight lit up his face.

“I need a kiss, Sir.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Please,” she begged, hoping he would oblige her request.

“No.” He shook his head, effectively plucking the hope from inside her. “Let go, Ava. Take what I give and stop trying to top from the bottom. You’re not in control of this session: I am, and you’re making my job harder than it needs to be.”

“I’m not topping from the bottom,” she argued with a disgruntled pout. “You always kiss me when I need it.”

“Ah, but do you really need a kiss, or simply want one?” His cinnamon brows furrowed.

All right, so she wanted one. When had that become a crime? “I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s just that…I’m struggling here…Sir.”

“I know you are, but I’ve no intention of submitting to you while you try dictating my Dominance.”

Though his words were spoken softly and filled with love, Quinn’s message came through loud and clear.

“I know. I’m trying. I really am.”

He pressed a feather-light kiss at the corner of her mouth. It technically wasn’t even a kiss. But it would have to suffice since she knew better than to ask for more.

“Try harder for me, princess,” Quinn whispered before placing his palm on the top of her head and directing her to face the cross once more. “Trust me, Ava.”

“I do. You know I do,” she murmured.

“Prove it,” he challenged.

Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, repeating the process over and over. She hoped it would calm the riotous anxiety spinning through her while giving him the level of trust he desired. Ava knew in her heart she had nothing to fear, but her brain wasn’t cooperating. While he’d dragged her outside the box of their usual D/s play, Quinn had long ago proven himself a capable Master. His command over her and the aftercare he bathed her in after each session completed her. His sublime affection made her heart constantly soar. Still, she struggled now to let the submissive inside hand over her staunch control.

She’d been conditioned to lead. As senior vice-president of Fusion Productions, Ava juggled a tremendous amount of responsibility. Not only did she secure multimillion-dollar contracts, but Ava had earned a reputation as a cutthroat negotiator. Only Quinn knew which buttons to push to release the pressure her VP role created. And he was the only one she’d ever let put her in such a vulnerable position. His Dominance offered her freedom. Quinn could effortlessly remove the burdens from her shoulders while providing a net of safety in the process. Ava longed for that…longed to feel both small and treasured…ached for the revitalizing and invigorating rebirth he never failed to grant her. So why was she balking at that now?

Hand it over to him, a little voice inside her pled. Let him take it all away.

Inwardly repeating the words of her subconscious, Ava turned them into a mantra while Quinn compelled the same motivation with the flogger. It wasn’t long before the grip on her control lessened. The rhythmic falls landed harder against her flesh, lifting her higher off the floor with the force. A scrumptious burn warmed her ass as she slipped further and further into the familiar abyss of serenity. Her breathing turned shallow. Thick, feminine juice trickled from inside her and clung to her aching, swollen folds.

“That’s my sweet slave,” Quinn crooned in a low, coaxing whisper. “Give me your control, princess. I’ll keep you safe.”

Time and space seemed to slow. Even her thoughts processed like slow-churning molasses while the sounds of the flogger fell distant and muffled. The scent of her own spicy arousal hung in the air like a moist and heavy blanket of need. Suspended and floating like a rowboat lost at sea, Ava slowly realized the flogging had stopped. Forcing herself to rise up from the depths, she didn’t get far before Quinn’s capable fingers dipped between her legs, spreading her slickness over her pulsating clit. Ava rolled her head to the side with a mournful whimper.

“Yes. This is this what you want, isn’t it, princess?” Quinn asked in a tempting whisper as he pressed a tender kiss beneath her ear.

A shiver slithered up her spine, and the heat of his body enveloped her. “Yes,” she moaned, arching her back to rub against his crotch. He stood perfectly still…didn’t reward her with his thick, hard cock plunging deep inside her empty tunnel.

“Such a needy little minx,” he softly chided before pulling away, taking his alluring heat, captivating lips, and enticing scent.

Ava wanted to cry out in frustration, but before she could open her mouth to protest, a feather-soft kiss brushed the left cheek of her ass. Immediately another stroke whispered upon her other orb. Wading through the fog suffusing her brain, Ava realized the absence of his body heat told her Quinn’s lips weren’t anywhere near her. Some type of toy she’d never experienced was responsible for the wispy sensation. But she had no idea what. Surely the soft, soothing kisses weren’t coming from the whip…were they?

Darting a daring glance over her shoulder, Ava’s heart clutched, then began to thunder in her chest as Quinn raised the long, braided leather into the air and flicked his wrist. The whip coiled like a slithering snake before the thin threaded end whisked over her flesh with barely a sigh. The indulgent sensation clashed with the sight of the wicked whip. Ava couldn’t wrap her head around the incongruent impressions warring within.

Quinn pinned her with an unhappy expression before dropping his arm. Eating up the distance between them, he gripped her chin, forcing her gaze. “Were you instructed to watch me, princess?”

“No Sir.”

“Then why are you?”

“I—I wanted to see what you were using on me.”

“Should it matter?”

With an inward curse, Ava shook her head. Dammit, why did she continue to challenge him? Why couldn’t she simply accept what he gave and float away once more? Her own hardheadedness irritated her. She could only imagine how annoyed Quinn must feel. How long would it be before he uncuffed her and called an end to their session? Probably not much longer. The thought filled her with dread.

No. She wanted this…needed to prove to them both that she could give more than she had in the past. Needed to prove that she trusted him. Quinn’s warm breath at her ear drew her focus back where it belonged.

“The whip is nothing like you expected, is it, princess?”

“No, not at all.” She shook her head. “I was afraid it would rip my skin open.”

“I have no desire to be a sadist, my love.”

“Thank god,” she replied on a grateful sigh.

“Now that you know how I intend to use the whip, do we need to discuss this further?”

“No, Sir.”

“Good. Then close your eyes and let me take care of you.”

As she complied, Quinn landed a sharp slap over her ass. She arched back in surprise, and he plucked her nipple, twisting it with a low growl, sending a sensual burn to spread through her. The opposing stings collided in Ava’s midsection to throb in time with her aching clit. Quinn snaked his fingers between her legs and toyed with her sex once again. As he assuaged the sting, Ava felt the burn merge into a hungry quickening she wanted prolonged. Plunging two fingers inside her quivering tunnel, he rubbed her distended clit with his thumb while skimming tender kisses along her neck. As he nibbled on the lobe of her ear, Ava rocked against his hand, soaring high in a matter of seconds.

“Yes…yes,” she moaned, hovering on release.

“You don’t have permission,” Quinn warned with evil delight.

“Please…I need…need to come,” she panted breathlessly.

“Oh, you will, gorgeous. When I decide it’s time. Unfortunately that time isn’t now.”

His denial echoed in her head as he removed his fingers. When he took a step back, irritation clawed through her. “No. No. No,” she whimpered only to have her pitiful sounds of despair met with Quinn’s soft chuckle.

Ava frowned. He enjoyed the fact that she was suffering…enjoyed it far too much.

Suck it up, cupcake. He can’t keep you cuffed here forever.

The thought flittered through her mind, followed by a feeling of sadness that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wanted to please him, not brood and sulk because he wasn’t giving her exactly what she wanted. The cuffs might be chaining her body but not her mind. It was past time she set her inner submissive free.

When she felt the whip feathering over her backside once more, Ava’s eyes slid shut. Let go. You’re safe. Treasured. Loved. As she repeated the mantra in her head, she slid back into the peaceful darkness, lulled by the rhythmic whisper of the whip.