Sasha stood as far away from Lincoln’s scene as she dared. Far enough that she could see everything without threat of being a distraction to him. She didn’t want him to know where she was or what she was thinking.

Carter was with her, his huge bulky body standing behind her in the shadows like a secret service agent. He made her giggle inwardly. Lincoln had asked him to keep an eye on her—code for making sure she didn’t freak out and need her own aftercare in the middle of the scene.

Lincoln was in a zone. Mesmerizing. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. The sub he was working with was a pretty redhead who had negotiated the entire scene ahead of time. She wore a blindfold, but other than that, she was completely naked.

Lincoln had already landed several warm-up strikes on her butt, faint pink lines barely visible from where Sasha stood. She had tensed a bit with every swish of the whip at first, but as time ticked by, she grew more accustomed and at ease.

It truly was an art. Lincoln stalked around his sub gracefully, carefully plotting where to place each thin welt. It was hard to look away.

Carter had given her a play-by-play in the beginning, until she assured him she was fine. She knew he was still eyeing her closely.

As the strikes landed with more force, closer together, Sasha tensed, but she wasn’t worried. He knew what he was doing. That went a long way toward soothing her. She might not experience the same level of calm watching a Dom she didn’t know, but this was Lincoln. Not a stranger.

He’d prepared her earlier, letting her know there would be a lot of welts and exactly where he intended to place them. But there wouldn’t be blood. That hadn’t been negotiated into the scene, and besides he did that only rarely and only with select submissives he was incredibly well acquainted with.

As she suspected, it didn’t bother her to watch him top another sub. She knew it wasn’t sexual for him. He’d also made that abundantly clear. It gave him a certain kind of release and a satisfaction she would never understand, but it didn’t give him a hard-on.

He’d also assured her this particular submissive was only interested in the endorphin release from a whip. She didn’t use it to reach orgasm.

His entire concentration was focused on lining up his next strike and then ensuring it hit precisely where he intended. He never missed. Every once in a while, he paused to touch base with the woman, speaking into her ear, soothing her with a gentle hand to the back of her head or her shoulder.

Sasha felt a sense of pride. She smiled. He was indeed a professional. This was as intense a scene as she’d ever want to watch, but it didn’t make her doubt his commitment to her. There was no distrust. She knew he was hers. It didn’t matter that they were in the beginning stages of their relationship. In a way they had been dancing around each other for so many years that she felt an instant connection.

She wondered if he would want to take her home with him tonight. Every time she thought about the possibility of being alone with him again, her heart beat faster. He had indicated they should take things slow. How slow? Going backward wasn’t reasonable in her mind.

He was a bit possessive it turned out, so she couldn’t imagine him dropping her off at her apartment later and calling next weekend for a date. He hadn’t taken his hands off her since they left his office until he needed to prepare for the scene.

His gaze was intense. Always. He made her pussy leak with just a look. Her nipples had stood at attention the entire evening too, brushing deliciously against the silk of her bodice, which also kept them alert.

He had looked at her with that same intensity for years. She simply hadn’t been able to read it for what it was—his inability to rein in his feelings. In fact, the look had often turned into a scowl in the past. She hoped he wouldn’t feel the need to glare at her in frustration anymore. Not if the reason for his frustration had stemmed from wanting more from her.

She was his. Did he realize that now?

She drew her attention back to the scene to find dozens of pink lines up and down the sub’s thighs and butt and shoulder blades. The woman was humming rhythmically, deep in subspace.

It was almost over.

Sasha backed up and turned to Carter. “I think I should let him finish without me hovering.”

Carter’s eyes came closer together. “You okay?”

“Yep. But I know she needs aftercare, and I don’t want Lincoln to feel awkward about me being close by.”

Carter nodded slowly and took her gently by the arm. “I’ll escort you to his office.”

“I can manage that on my own,” she teased.

“I’m sure you can. But that isn’t what I promised Lincoln.”

She smiled. Of course.

As they headed toward the stairs that led to the third floor, they passed a woman with thick blond hair. Distinct blond hair Sasha would recognize anywhere because it was the sort of blond that came naturally. Almost white. Definitely not from a bottle. Sasha remembered her as the dungeon monitor from Breeze. “Faith?”

The blonde lifted her head and met Sasha’s gaze. If it weren’t for her stunning hair and her mesmerizing blue eyes, Sasha wouldn’t have recognized her. She was not wearing the head-to-toe black clothing from the last time they’d met. Tonight she wore a red corset and a short, tight, black leather skirt. Deep red heels made her several inches taller than her five four.

Sasha met her eye to eye since she too wore heels.

Faith smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Hi.” Her voice was soft.

“You two have met before?” Carter asked.

Sasha nodded, her gaze still on Faith. “Yes. At Breeze.”

“Ah. Then I guess introductions aren’t necessary.”

“What brings you to Zodiac?” Sasha asked, intrigued to find herself staring into the same sorrowful eyes of the woman she’d met several weeks ago at the competitor’s club.

Faith licked her lips. “I’m thinking about switching my membership.”

Sasha nodded slowly when Faith took a step back, obviously not interested in expounding on that statement. “Well, I hope you enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you.” Faith’s heels tapped lightly on the floor as she hurried away.

A light touch on Sasha’s arm drew her attention back to Carter. He smiled. “She’s stunning, isn’t she?”

“Yes.” That was an understatement. It wasn’t that she had the classic beauty of a model or actress or anything. But that hair… And those eyes… Sasha wondered if everyone else could see the sadness behind them. She shook herself back to the present as Carter continued to lead her to Lincoln’s office.

When they arrived, the brighter lights of the upstairs room making her squint, she was surprised to find Rowen sitting on the loveseat. “Hey,” she murmured.

Carter left her at the door, shutting it behind him as he headed back to the club.

“Hey, yourself.” Rowen patted the space next to him, but he turned his face away from her and held out a blanket from the arm of the sofa.

She tried not to laugh as she tucked the throw over her shoulders and draped it across her front.

She hadn’t spoken to him in over a week, so she wasn’t sure what to expect. As she lowered onto the cushion next to him, she noticed the scabs on his angry red knuckles. “You have an accident?”

“Run-in with a wall.”

She grinned. “I heard about that.”

He leaned back against the couch and sighed. “You okay, Sasha?”

“Yes. Better than.”

“I feel a bit responsible for backing you into a corner.”

“I’m a grown woman, Rowen. I can make my own decisions. And I have to take responsibility for my own actions. You can’t beat yourself up every time I make a choice you don’t agree with, even if I get hurt. You have to let me live my life.”

“I know.” He sighed again. “I’m trying.”

“I owe you everything. If it weren’t for you, I have no idea what would have happened to me. You were a great brother and father figure to me when I was vulnerable and too young to make any decisions, let alone good ones. But you did a good job. I turned out okay.” She nudged him with her shoulder.

He smiled. “You turned out amazing. And I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Thank you.”

“So… Lincoln, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Couldn’t you pick some medical student who’s been studying for so many years that he has no history?”

She chuckled. “What’s wrong with Lincoln’s background?”

“Nothing. Oh, except for the sadistic part,” he joked.

“I’m in love with him, Rowen.”

“I know you are. I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner. I just want you to be happy.”

“He makes me happy.”

“You mean, he’s made you happy for the last three hours? Because you weren’t even close to happy the last time I checked in with Rayne.”

“She’s amazing, by the way. Thank her for me.”

“If she’s speaking to me this week.”

“Off again?” She winced.

“We’ll see.”

The door opened, drawing Sasha’s attention across the room as Lincoln stepped in.

Rowen stood. “My cue to leave.” He sauntered across the room and met Lincoln at the doorway. “Make her happy, man.”

“I promise to do everything in my power.”

And then Rowen was gone and the door was closed. Lincoln leaned against it. “Come here, baby.”

She stood, dropped the blanket, and made her way across the room until she could lean into him, putting her hands on his chest. She looked him in the eye to make sure he didn’t doubt her sincerity. “It was like a piece of art. Beautiful. Mesmerizing.”

His shoulders relaxed. “You were okay with it?”

“Yes. I trust you. Not saying I’d want to watch all the time or that I ever want to see a scene where there’s blood involved, but that choice has nothing to do with you. I’m just squeamish about pain and blood.” She shuddered.

One corner of his mouth lifted. “Still uncertain if you’re a masochist?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Not even close. You still sure it won’t bother you? Do you need that from me?”

He smiled. “Never. Turns out I need way different things from you. I may do scenes with other people who need that sort of thing, but it doesn’t suit you, and it’s not who we are together.”

“And who are we together?” she prodded, grinning.

He set his palms on her hips and then ran them up her back under her hair. She shivered at the contact to her bare skin. “We’ll figure that out as we go along, but I have a pretty good idea.” He lowered his face to claim her lips. When he pulled back, he spoke. “You still want to play? We don’t have to if you’re tired. It’s late. I’ve put you through hell this week.”

“Don’t you have other subs scheduled?”

“Nope. I canceled a few and another Dom took a few.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Take me to your private room and make my body hum, Sir.”

* * *

Lincoln’s heart was full to overflowing as he led his sub to the private room with the spanking bench. He dimmed the lights, locked the door, and pointed at the maroon, leather-padded bench.

He was anxious to get started and didn’t want to make her any more nervous than she already was by dragging out the process. Another day he could ease in slowly. But not today.

He suspected she would calm as soon as she was in position. “You’ve seen other subs on one of these before.”

“Yes, Sir.”

With a hand at the small of her back, he led her to the end. He had a plan in mind, and he didn’t intend to discuss it with her. “Trust me?”

“Implicitly, Sir.”

He stood behind her, set his hands on her waist, and lifted her onto the bench so that her belly rested on the center padded section and her knees and elbows lined up with the four other leather kneeling pads.

She shuddered, but he soothed her with a hand on her back, applying the right amount of pressure to ground her and calm her nerves. “Safeword?”

“Red, Sir.”

He released her back and gathered her hair into a ponytail, tugging the band from his wrist to secure it in a messy, loose bun at the top of her head.

She giggled. “Cosmetology school, Sir?”

“You think now is the time to make jokes, little girl?”

She pursed her lips. “No, Sir.”

“Didn’t think so. You are a little girl tonight, aren’t you? My little girl.”

She licked her lips slowly, her face flushing, her back arching subtly, thrusting her breasts toward him. “Yes, Sir.”

Damn. What was he doing? This was unchartered territory they had not discussed. “I assume it’s a role you don’t mind playing since you showed up dressed for the part.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Okay then. Deep breaths. Lincoln had brought her into this room so she could experience an erotic spanking. He hadn’t considered role-playing, but now that he had her sweet body on his bench wearing that teasing, pink, little-girl outfit… He kneeled in front of her and caught her chin. “You understand role-playing, right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Can’t say I’ve done it often myself, but I’m up for it if you’re curious.”

“Okay, Sir.”

“I want to make it perfectly clear that when we play like this, it’s strictly a scene. In no way do I think of you as a little girl outside of this scene.” He knew it bothered her that their relationship had begun on the wrong foot with him publicly humiliating her about her youth. He wanted to be damn sure she wouldn’t resent him using that same theme in a scene.

The moment those words had slipped out of his mouth—You are a little girl tonight, aren’t you? My little girl—had not been planned. But he couldn’t have anticipated her reaction either. Thank God she didn’t call him daddy. He was pretty sure that would squick him out.

Time to play. He stood, intentionally putting his bulging cock near her face. “Have you been a naughty girl this week, Sasha?”

She licked her lips, her gaze on his crotch. So fucking sexy. Her ass wiggled a bit as if she was trying to get comfortable. “No, Sir.”

“Did you touch my pussy?”

“No, Sir.”

“Hmm.” He trailed his fingers up and down one arm for a while and then rounded to the other side to do the same, watching her relax in increments. Finally, he slid his palm down to her hand and gently eased a Velcro cuff around her dainty wrist.

She whimpered beautifully.

“You like being restrained, little girl?”

“Yes, Sir.” Her voice was barely audible. Breathy.

He did the same to her other wrist. “Too tight?”

“No, Sir.”

He cupped her cheek and dragged his thumb across her lower lip, pulling it from between her teeth. “Don’t hurt my little girl’s lip.”

“Okay, Sir.” Her eyes were huge as she looked up at him.

He decided to test the waters. “If you need something in your mouth, I’ll find something for you. Not this lip.” He tapped it again.

Her eyes widened as her face flushed further. “Yes, Sir.”

Fuck me.

As he released her chin to trail his fingers down her shoulder, he stepped to one side again. Without warning, he yanked the front of her bodice down several inches.

She gasped as cool air hit her tits. They swayed for a moment. Her perfect nipples were dark and puckered. He flicked one hard enough to make her gasp.

“So pretty, little one. Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of seeing these perfect tits?”

“No, Sir.”

“Years. Ever since that day you showed up at the beach wearing that scrap of material you called a bikini and nearly thrust yourself at me with your sunscreen.”

She sucked in a breath. “That was your idea, Sir.”

“Mmm.” She remembers. Instead of continuing to play with her nipple, he grazed his fingers down the side of her breast, across her belly, over her hip, and down her thigh. As he bent behind her to secure her ankles in the same manner as her wrists, he lifted his gaze to see her delicious pussy glistening with arousal.

He almost choked when he noticed she wore nothing but a thin thong. He hoped she didn’t have an attachment to it, because he was going to shred it with a yank of his hand in a minute.

As soon as he had her ankles secured, he stood, easing his palms up and down her inner thighs.

Her breaths came quicker. Her head lolled back and forth. “You’re an amazing submissive, Sasha.” He broke the scene slightly to tell her that, but he thought it was important that she have the reinforcement.

“Thank you, Sir.”

It would take some time to figure out exactly what made her tick, but they had the rest of their lives, and Lincoln couldn’t wait to experiment.

He knew Rowen had been kidding when he joked about Lincoln taking BDSM 101 classes, but the man also had a point. It was time to put everything Lincoln had ever taught or learned about the various aspects of the lifestyle to use. He’d spent the last decade concentrating on sadism. There were so many other avenues to explore with his voracious new sub.

He continued to stroke her thighs, moving from the inside to the outside and then back again, inching closer to her pussy with every pass until she was a ball of nerves about to explode. “My little girl is so responsive. Why is that do you think?”

“I don’t know, Sir.” Her voice was strained. “I think it’s only for you though, Sir.”

“Hmmm. We’ll never know, will we?” The thought of another man ever touching her made him grit his teeth.

“No, Sir.”

When did he get so fucking possessive that he felt the need to claim her every few minutes? He had no idea, but she squirmed more with every mention. She had all night. “Whose little girl are you, sweetheart?”

“Yours, Sir.”

“That’s right. My good girl.” He smoothed his hands higher to cup her ass, molding it in his palms while she moaned. His thumbs were intentionally close to her tight forbidden hole. He would never touch her there this soon, but he did intend to tease her and make her wonder.

He pulled her skirt up around her waist and tucked it under her belly to secure it out of his way. “My little girl’s bottom is so smooth and white. It’s going to be so sexy when I color it pink in a minute.”

She whimpered.

He took the opportunity to stick one finger under the elastic strip of her thong at her waist and gave a sharp tug.

She squealed in shock.

“I love the noises you make, sweetheart. My cock gets so hard.”

She didn’t respond. He doubted she could. He hadn’t even landed a single palm on her and she was about to explode.

“Is my pussy wet, little girl?”

She made an undainty noise before responding. “Yes, Sir.”

“Let’s see.” He eased his flat palm down between her butt cheeks, applying slight pressure to the crack as she drew her cheeks together. When his fingers stroked through her folds, they came away soaked with her juices. He lifted them to his mouth and sucked her flavor off each one as she wiggled.

“What a naughty girl you are, so wet and swollen. You shaved your pussy for me. I like that.”

“Yes, Sir.” Her voice was so wobbly she sounded like she literally might come.

“You don’t have permission to come, sweetheart. Not until I say so.”

“Sir?”

“You heard me. Can you hold it back, baby?” He didn’t want to ask her to do the impossible, but he did want her to learn to control her orgasms. Wait for them. Let him decide when she came and didn’t come. It would heighten her arousal and keep her guessing all the time.

“I… I don’t know, Sir. I’ll try.”

“Good girl. That’s all I ask. I won’t punish you this time if you fail. I know it’s hard. But I want you to try your best. In the future I’ll expect you to comply. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He continued speaking simply because he knew he was driving her mad with lust. “I own your orgasms from now on, little girl. You’re mine. And your pleasure is mine to dole out when I see fit.”

“Okay, Sir.” Her voice quivered.

“If you get too close, you need to stop and tell me. Don’t come without permission.” While he spoke, he teased her outer lips with almost nonexistent strokes of his fingers.

“Yes, Sir.”

Stepping closer between her legs, he pressed her thighs wider and flicked a fingertip over her clit.

She moaned. Her legs stiffened.

“Don’t come yet, sweetheart. I’m not done exploring.” God, this was hot. The hottest scene he’d ever participated in. This one was on fire. If he lived through it, it would be a miracle.

He hoped she wasn’t too sore from the rough way he claimed her virginity the other day because he wanted inside her again tonight.

“Such a good girl,” he crooned as he pulled her lips apart and dipped the tip of one finger into her warmth. Goddamn, she was tight. His cock jumped in protest as if pissed off that he would dare enter her with something other than its swollen head.

“Sir, I’m going to come, Sir.” Her voice was strained.

“Okay, sweetheart. Come for me.” He thrust two fingers into her channel.

She screamed, her orgasm pulsing around his finger. Good. He needed her to get the first one out of the way or she would never survive the spanking.