16

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Mimi & John

Ethan's finger had discreetly slipped out of my panties when Ginger was rising from the table. The muscles in my pussy clenched and released several times as if trying to grab a hold of his finger. The scene had put me in a quite a wanton state. I remained frozen in place on that bench as Ginger and Doc made their exit, not exactly sure how to deal with my state of arousal.

It was a whole new experience for me. As elementary as it may sound, being sexually charged in front of other people wasn't something I could put on my resume. I wasn't even sure if I liked it or not. I knew so much of what went on in the lifestyle included being on stage, it seemed, but it wasn't the most appealing idea to me.

I liked what Ethan and I did together. But I especially liked that it was private. I wasn't ready for other people to see what I was like with him. To be honest, I wasn't sure I would ever be ready for that. I knew it was probably because I still cared about how other people looked at me and what they thought of me. But that didn't change the fact that it bothered me. A lot.

It was at the very heart of my doubts about whether I'd be able to fit in this world. In Ethan's world. I wanted it to work out with us more than anything, but there were still some things I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to handle.

Deke broke the spell that seemed to be suspending everyone in place like invisible jello. "I could use a smoke."

John nodded. "Doc and Ginger are probably in the other spare room. They're staying there tonight so they don't have to drive all the way home. You know where the screened-in patio is, right?"

Deke nodded, "Yeah." He stood and held his hand out to China, then looked back at John. "How well do you know your neighbors?"

John tilted his head and frowned for a second, then smiled and nodded. "You won't be the first naked bodies they've seen in there."

Ethan stood and swung his leg over the bench as Deke led China out of the playroom. He offered his hand to help me onto my feet.

I noticed a silent exchange between Ethan and John. A lingering direct stare.

"Mimi and I are going to the kitchen. Do you guys need anything?"

I shook my head and then realized that John had dropped the protocol. I wondered if he'd done it on purpose or if it was purely accidental.

Nobody is perfect, right?

Ethan held me firmly in his arms until we were the only people remaining in the playroom. Then he loosened his grasp and guided me backward to the bench where Ginger had been so my butt could sit down on top of it.

He parted my thighs and stood between them. I remember thinking that it was a nice height for intercourse. Then I quickly thought,

Duh. That's one of the things it was designed for.

"What did you think of their scene, baby?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled as I tried to get my mind to work. "I don't know if I think anything about it. I mean, nothing bad or anything like that."

Ethan patiently waited for a better answer.

"It was surreal watching someone get off only a couple of feet in front of me."

"Did that bother you?"

"No."

The elevated pitch of my voice gave away that I was not fully committed to my answer. Ethan's eyes narrowed.

I wasn't sure how to explain my hesitancy. "I can't...I don't ever want to ..."

Ethan started shaking his head before I was even halfway through my sentence so I stopped talking. "I'm not into that."

I wasn't sure we were thinking of the same thing. "Into

what?

Which part?"

"I'll never even pretend to share you with another man. Ever."

"Good. I was afraid that because I wrote about that kind of stuff you might think...you know, that I wanted to do it or something."

"No. I won't assume something like that. I'll ask you first."

"We haven't really talked about boundaries."

"Sure we have. But not in one conversation. And maybe not exactly laying each limit out on the table."

I nodded. "Ethan, I think I have a limit that we haven't discussed."

"Okay."

"I don't think I want to, um, you know, come in front of other people. I ... that's just too personal."

Ethan smiled and kissed my cheek. "I'd prefer we only do sex scenes in private, too. Not with friends or on stage. Unless that stage is empty because the dungeon is closed for another couple of hours." Ethan nuzzled my neck as he referenced our recent scene at the dungeon. "You liked watching Ginger climax, though. Didn't you?"

I nodded and tried to hide the impish grin I could feel starting to curl my lips.

"We might have to use that screened-in patio after Deke and China are through with it. I don't think I can wait until we get home to fuck you."

Ethan claimed my mouth in a hungry kiss, plunging his tongue past my lips. My head spun with desire as if I were drunk with it. The kiss was over as suddenly as it began, though.

"Damn, you bring it out in me."

"What?"

"My need to dominate. I don't know what it is, exactly. This is the first time I've felt like this. This strong, I mean. I ... God, I love it."

My heart practically exploded at his confession. It mirrored how I'd been feeling about him. There was just something so right between us. I could only think of one word to describe it.

Harmony.

"Do you realize I haven't played online once since you and I started dating?"

"It hasn't been that long."

"I used to game every night. For hours. I went 14 hours straight, once."

A mild alarm sounded in my head. I connected the dots all at once. I remembered that he'd transferred his addiction from drugs to alcohol to smoking to gaming.

Now, to me? Is it even possible to be addicted to another person?

I wasn't sure how addiction worked.

I need to remember to google this tomorrow.

"What does it mean that you haven't been gaming?"

"That I no longer have a need for it, I hope."

Ethan tipped my chin upward so he could kiss me again. He started with gentle, coaxing pecks and then deepened the contact for a more meaningful, passionate exchange. My mind was once again fuzzy, falling quickly under his spell.

Low murmurs gradually got louder as people began walking down the hallway, making their way toward the playroom. Ethan kept me locked in a kiss until the voices were clearly in the room.

"I found it online."

Ethan pulled away as John and Doc were moving past us toward the steel kneeling stockade in the corner of the room.

Doc bent over the apparatus and tugged at one of the legs. "Looks pretty sturdy."

"Yeah. I'm pretty happy with the quality."

"You'll have to send me the website. We're talking about doing the same thing you did here with combining adjacent bedrooms. We hardly ever use the two spare rooms in our house."

"Back when they built this house, the spare rooms were so small. This room is still only 12x20. Each bedroom was 10x12 before. Can you believe that?"

"Damn. Are you guys still thinking about moving?"

John nodded, "Yeah. Thinking about it. I haven't brought it up to my folks, yet. I don't think they'll care about selling this house, but I don't know what they have in mind in terms of what they want from the sale. Technically, it's their house still. But all the improvements we've made to it we've paid for on our own. So, I don't know how we're going to work that out."

Ethan cocked his head to the side and looked over at John. "Your name isn't on the title?"

"No. And we never took over the payments officially. I mean, as far as the bank is concerned, my parents have been paying the mortgage. We've been paying them. And we pay the taxes."

"Yeah, you need to talk to your parents because you're getting screwed on your taxes."

"I know. But I really don't want to go through the hassle of moving it all over to my name because we just want to turn around and sell it."

Doc chimed back in. "Just put off selling it for another year."

John shook his head and then grinned. He looked over at Doc and then to Ethan and me.

Ethan smiled and frowned back at John. "What?"

"We can't wait for much longer. Nine months comes fast."

Doc's jaw dropped. "Oh, shit! You're kidding, right?"

John shook his head. "It's not official, yet. She just took the home pregnancy test this morning."

The subject of children hadn't come up in any of our discussions. We were still working on boundaries. I watched Ethan's expression intently. A huge smile lit up his entire face. He was genuinely happy for John.

"Oh, man, congratulations." Ethan leaned in to give John a man hug and then stepped out of the way for Doc to do the same.

I wasn't sure if I should congratulate him or not. I hadn't been included in their conversation, and I was a little wary of breaking any rules with so many torture devices nearby.

Melissa and Ginger walked into the room as Doc and John were composing themselves after their hug. Melissa firmly planted her hand on her waist and camped her hip out to the side in an exaggerated motion.

"You didn't just tell them without me, did you?"

John slowly turned his head toward Melissa, raising a single eyebrow. Her hand slid off her waist and she straightened her posture. Then her eyes lowered to a spot on the floor just a few feet in front of her. The tension was palpable, but not exactly ominous. I even detected a slight quiver at the corner of John's mouth as though he might break out in laughter at any moment.

Doc motioned for Ginger to come to him and she scurried away from Melissa, eager to distance herself from her friend all of a sudden.

The whole display was suspenseful. I found myself holding my breath and trying not to smile at the same time. If I thought for a moment that John might really do her any harm, I would've been uncomfortable. But I wasn't the least bit uneasy. It was evident that he was going to school her on her behavior and I could hardly wait to see how.

"What did I tell you about sassing me before our guests arrived?"

"You told me to keep my mouth in check, sir."

I bit my lip when she spoke. I'd never heard her refer to John with such respect. She wasn't disrespectful to him, but this was a whole different level of formality. It seemed they were slipping right into some type of role playing. I wondered if they'd worked out some signal and it was so subtle I missed it.

"Do you think the way you addressed me just now was 'keeping your mouth in check'?"

"No, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

"And what happens when you clearly disobey my orders?"

"I get punished."

John looked over Melissa's shoulder to Deke and China who were quietly slipping through the doorway. Then he turned his attention back to Melissa. "Did you think that being pregnant would stop me from whipping you?"

Melissa shrugged one shoulder and then dropped her chin to her chest as she shook her head. "No, sir."

"Not at this stage of your pregnancy, it won't. And later on, I'll just have to dole out much more creative punishments. Because I highly doubt you'll be any better at controlling your mouth at eight months pregnant than you are now. Right?"

"Yes, sir; I'm sure you're right."

"Of course I am. Now, go pick out a crop."

Melissa gasped and then bit her lower lip as she appeared to be holding her breath.

"You have something to say about my choice of implement, Mimi darling?" The sarcasm rolled off his tongue.

She shook her head and turned around to walk to the closet.

Ethan pulled me with him as he stepped around the spanking bench so we could move out of the way. I clasped my hands together and realized that they were clammy. I was a lot more tense about what was about to happen than I was admitting consciously.

Parking his back against the wall, Ethan wrapped one arm around my waist to hold me firmly against him. I wasn't sure if he could sense my state of anxiety or not. I only knew that his firm grasp felt like it was holding me together.

Melissa returned with a pink crop that had a wide leather piece on the end with a heart cut out of it. She balanced it on her open palms, presenting it to John with a bowed head.

John chuckled. "The very first crop I bought for you. And the mildest one in that closet. You haven't wanted this one in a very long time."

John lifted the implement from her hands and mused as he rolled the handle in his fingers. His expression changed as though he'd discovered the answer he was looking for. He briefly glanced over at Ethan and then back at Melissa.

"

Here.

" John tapped the steel kneeling stock with the end of the crop to indicate where he wanted Melissa to go. She approached the apparatus and knelt down onto it. Even though John had stated they hadn't used it, it was obviously adjusted for her.

John leaned over and stroked her back when she was in place. He locked her ankles in place by latching the bar over them, followed by her wrists and neck. He then yanked down the back of her leggings, exposing her thong and two bare butt cheeks.

I immediately noticed a series of scars along her hip. They were a pale pink color and obviously very old, but they weren't from a natural cause. I couldn't think of anything that might cause those marks except being beaten. My eyes darted from Melissa's hip to John's face. I couldn't put it together. Even though he was about to hit her with a crop, he wasn't angry. He didn't even seem capable of inflicting those types of marks on Melissa. The way he looked at her, doted on her.

My attention was drawn back to Ethan as I could feel the back of my skirt inching upward. His free hand had been sliding up the back of my skirt and his fingers were now wiggling beneath the elastic leg of my panties at the base of my buttocks.

The sharp thwack of the crop startled me. My gaze had drifted as I was focusing on Ethan's creeping hand. Ethan tightened his grip on me.

My attention shifted back to Melissa. I wanted to be ready for the next blow. Flinching seemed like such an amateurish thing to do.

No need to broadcast how new all of this is to me.

I noticed that Melissa was completely still and quiet.

John's hand lifted for another swing and I sucked in my breath. This time as the sharp sound of the leather slapping her skin resonated in the room, I felt a pinch on my buttock. It might've even happened a half a second before the sound. I froze in place.

Another strike of the crop and another pinch in the same spot. Ethan's fingers hadn't been creeping up my skirt for sexual reasons, he had intended for me to feel a sting each time the crop landed on Melissa's buttocks.

I not only forgot to flinch at the sound, I was no longer intently focused on Melissa. Instead, I was anticipating my own torment. It calmed me so much I wanted to drop to my knees. Thankfully, Ethan had me steadfast enough that I didn't require legs to stay upright.

Melissa twisted her head in the stock and looked directly at me. She suppressed a smile before shifting her face back to the floor.

Almost the exact same envy that I'd felt for Ginger was creeping over me again. I wished that it were me in that stockade with Ethan wielding that crop in his hand. When the next blow came, and I felt the sting that was now increasing in intensity as Ethan had hardly moved from pinching the same spot, I nearly moaned out loud. I must've made some sound because suddenly all eyes in the room were on me.

I bit my lip and Ginger stifled a chuckle. John's hand came to rest at his side and he took a couple of steps backward.

"I think I'll change this out for something with more bite."

John moved to the closet and swapped the crop he'd been using for another one. The end of this one was shaped differently. The leather piece was nothing more than a narrow strip. He showed it to Melissa and she groaned as he took his stance behind her.

"Five more, Mimi. But I'll make these count."

The sound wasn't as loud as the previous crop but the first blow with this one made Melissa squirm. Ethan didn't pinch me. I shifted my face toward him slightly in question but received no response.

John continued with the remaining four swats and I endured them without any distraction. I listened to Melissa's labored breathing and soft cries and watched the red stripes appear across her white skin right before my eyes. I felt no sympathy for her because there was no reason for it, however, I stopped envying her on about the third stroke. But all the way to the end, I found myself in awe of her strength.

After the fifth blow was delivered, John walked to the closet and put away the crop. Then he returned to Melissa and stood by her side stroking her back as he spoke to her.

"Are you going to remember this for the rest of the night, Mimi?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Are you ready to come out of the stockade and rejoin our party?"

"Yes, sir."

John leaned down and lifted her pants over her buttocks. Melissa hissed her discomfort. He didn't acknowledge it at all. He simply released her limbs and neck from the steel bindings and then helped her onto her feet and into his arms. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear and she shook her head.

John lifted his face from Melissa's hair and smiled. "Anyone else want to try our new stock?" He swiveled toward me and tilted his head in question. "Hmmm?"

I violently shook by head and tried to shrink farther into Ethan's grasp as everyone laughed out loud, including Ethan.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kiwi

Deke interrogated John on what they'd missed and everyone moved back into the living room to sit and talk. I finished my wine and actually found something to contribute to the sub conversation when the topic turned to books. It ended up being the one thing we all had in common. We all read novels.

I left the party with a couple of titles to add to my reading list, and a few new friends. And another BDSM experience under my belt.

On the ride home, Ethan pumped me for information. "What did you think of the party? Was it what you expected?"

"I'm not sure what I was expecting. In some ways, it was like any other party I've ever been to. This one at least had some entertainment."

Ethan laughed. "And what did you think of John and Mimi's entertainment?"

I frowned at his use of her nickname but shrugged it off. "I was real nervous about it at first."

"I noticed that."

"Is that why you pinched me?"

"I just wanted to play a little. I didn't know it was going to turn you to jelly. I had a hard time holding you up." Ethan took a long sideways glance at me with a huge teasing grin on his face.

"I don't know why, but for some reason it was easier to take it than to watch someone else taking it."

Ethan nodded. "I'm the same way at a club when there is a guy I don't know behind the whip. I thought it was my own discomfort over being out of control."

"It's kind of hard to watch."

"I know what you mean. You handled the last five strokes, though."

"Yeah. I'd sort of moved beyond feeling sorry for her by that time."

"What were you feeling?"

"I, uh, sort of envied her." I quickly added, "To a point. I mean, she was enjoying that, I think."

"Yes she was."

"Did you see those marks on her hip, though?"

"Yeah. They're, uh ... I should let Melissa tell you, but it isn't like it's a secret or anything ... She got those before she met John."

"What are they from?"

"A cane, I think. I don't know, exactly."

"Someone did that to her?"

"Yeah. Some guy she was seeing when she lived in Houston."

"How did that happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, didn't they have a safe word?"

"I don't know. I never asked her."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not my business."

I frowned and continued to stare at Ethan, waiting for an explanation.

"What? Listen, Grace, it's not like what you read in books. Safe words don't magically protect you from harm."