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Chapter 33

Author: Desiree Holt
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56
"Oh, yes, please," Dara breathed, relief washing over her. "And Jason? You have him, too?"

"Damn straight. He's the head honcho who has a rep for being very dangerous and without a conscience. The feds have got him tucked away with a full complement of guards while they put together the formal charges. This isn't something he'll be able to wriggle out of. I doubt he'll ever see a day outside prison for the rest of his life."

Dara did not realize how tense she'd been listening or how much she needed to hear that, until all the tension eased from her body as if someone had pulled a plug.

"We're very grateful to you," Zane told Derek, taking Dara's hand in one of his.

"Actually," Derek said, "it's Dara who gets the gratitude, from all of us. If you all hadn't run into Reynolds last weekend, if she hadn't been scared of what might happen to Maya, this thing could just as easily have continued to languish in the files. Dara, it was your worry for your friend and you certainty that she w
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    Part Four: All Tied UpBree Donovan lowered the window on her rental car and inhaled the fresh scent of the waning afternoon. Late November in the Texas Hill Country gave the air a fresh, crisp edge, a welcome change from the fumes that clogged the atmosphere in downtown Chicago. Even in the city of Austin the environment had a different tang to it, a different feel. Once again she sent a silent thanks to the client who had requested she come to Texas to meet with him. It got her out of the snow and biting cold that blew in off Lake Michigan and away from the mess she'd made of her private life.Soon she would start her second Texas project, an office complex the owner wanted to reflect the history of the area. That's where Bree had made her name in architectural circles - as a designer who knew how to weave history and practicality into a successful blend.The invitation from the client had come at exactly the right time. She was still dealing with the misery of her emotional and

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    Bree's GPS beeped, breaking into her reverie, and the mechanical voice told her to turn one half mile ahead. And there it sat, in the center of a long stretch of what the locals called a pole fence. The gateway's sign proclaimed the entrance to Rancho Dominacion. She swallowed a chuckle. Emilio Dacosta, the host of today's munch, was listed on the San Antonio BDSM site as a Dom with his own group. She wondered how many people thought the name merely implied his standing in the ranching community.A long driveway wound between verdant pastures where horses grazed and romped. At the end of the driveway sat the ranch house, a two-story adobe structure in a Spanish style architecture people thought of as symbolic of the state. The red tile roof reflected the blazing sun while the pale adobe walls promised a cool interior. The house was huge, with four large picture windows reflecting the late afternoon sun and a long veranda with an iron railing. The upper story rose gracefully to a red b

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    "Frightening away our guest before she has a chance to meet anyone, Rafe?"Bree turned to see a man detach himself from the crowd and she wondered if out here in the ranch country, they grew all the men this tall. His body didn't have width and musculature of the man who had approached her and was now standing inches away from her. Rather, she'd describe him as lithe. Not as broad in the shoulders. Still as filled with confidence, however. Much darker than the first man, he still exuded the same aura of confidence. Another Dom. Were there any subs here?He held out his hand. "Emilio Dacosta. You must be Bree Donovan."She frowned as she took his hand. "Am I wearing a sign?""Not at all. But when you sent me a name for a reference, I asked him for a photo so I'd recognize you. Try to make you welcome." He glanced at the other man. "Not isolate you as my rude friend here has done. Bree, meet Rafe Burnette, often the bane of everyone's existence."Rafe's tanned hand closed over hers

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    "He has events like this once in a while. Usually it's a small crowd and by invitation only. Today, the crowd you see is made up of the regulars. The core of our group.""That makes me an interloper." Bree was suddenly uncomfortable. She took a step back from him, suddenly desperate to put some space between them, and looked toward the parking area. Maybe she should be smart here and leave.Rafe studied her face, his gaze so piercing she was sure he could see all her sudden uncertainties bubbling deep inside her. "Not at all." One corner of his mouth crooked up in a lopsided grin. "When you posted your message, Emilio had the opportunity to withhold an invite. But he checked you out and whatever your reference told him, must have convinced him you'd fit in with the group." He waved at the crowd of people talking and drinking, nibbling from the snack trays. "Some of the folks in this group here have a similar setup only smaller. And others prefer the privacy of their own homes. That

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    Dinner was served on large picnic tables in the side yard. Rafe introduced her to Sara and Drake, who greeted her warmly. Although neither of them wore a collar, from the vibes Drake gave off, he made it obvious he was the sub and might as well have worn a sign that said owned. Bree told them she looked forward to their performance, then allowed Rafe to guide her to one of the tables. It surprised her when he chose not to sit with her."I'll see you later," he whispered before moving to another table. "I thought I'd let you chat with some other folks for a while.Bree managed to relax, mostly because he had put some distance between them, allowing her to engage in idle conversation with those at her table. Could he possibly be giving her some space? Why? Or maybe he thought she should have some time away from him, to see what she might miss? Damn! But the people he introduced her to were friendly and pleasant and asked the usual questions - where are you from, are you top or bottom

  • The Pleasure Principle   Chapter 39

    Rafe let his gaze roam over the crowd. "Tonight, Sara, the Domme, is going to take the submissive role. And Chad, her longtime sub, is going to take the upper hand for a change." He grinned widely. "I think many of you subs in the audience have thought about that now and then. Right?"Laughter ran softly through the crowd."They discussed this at length with me and rather than conduct their little experiment in private, they chose to do it before all of you. So, if any of you subs sitting in the audience think you might like to switch now and then, here's a chance to see what it might be like."More laughter. Sounds of people shifting in their chairs. A whisper of conversation."I think that's enough of an introduction. Now it's time for Sara and Drake."He stepped off of the platform and moved back to a corner of the room. A door to the right opened and the couple Bree had met earlier strode confidently out to the center of the room. Drake, a medium height compact man with dark a

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    Next to her Bree sensed Rafe's body tense and his arm, which he'd draped over her shoulder at some point, tightened slightly. His fingers rubbed her shoulder in an even circular motion. She knew she should shrug off his touch, but somehow she felt so connected to him, she had no desire to.Her mind drifted at the heat of his touch, but the crack of a whip, brought her sharply back into the present. She shifted her gaze back to the platform where Drake strode around Sara, a single tail whip in his hand that cracked with the rhythmic motions of his arm.Bree had seen many single tail whip demonstrations before. She'd even trained in the use of it and knew exactly how precise every motion had to be, every flick of the wrist, every angle of the arm. Drake's movements displayed confidence and dexterity, so she had to ask herself, had these two reversed roles before, or had Sara taught him specifically for tonight? He drew a breath, lifted his arm to the proper angle and the crack! sound

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    The sub jerked slightly, and Bree wondered if they'd planned it or if Drake had gone off script. If he had, it meant he wanted her to return the punishment when they were alone.Sara licked her lips and croaked, "Please lick me clean.""Sir," Drake prompted."Sir," she added.The expression on the volunteer's face showed his obvious pleasure at the task, the man knelt again, spread the lips of Sara's cunt and began to lap eagerly. As she watched, another set of spasms rocked Bree. Rafe pressed his fingers firmly against her crotch and she pushed down on them as hard as she could. The performance on stage finished at almost the same time the last tremors left her body.Rafe slid his hand free, leaned closer and held his fingers under his nose."Perfume," he breathed, then wrapped his arm around her again to steady her.Bree didn't know what to say to him. To anyone. She glanced to either side of her to see if anyone had noticed, but apparently they were all too busy with their ow

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    "Come on, Bree," Naomi dimpled. "Get with the spirit of the holidays."But Bree just waved the hand holding the slips at her and made her way down the hall to her office. Breathing a sigh of relief, she firmly closed the door, set her briefcase beside her desk and her portfolio on her drafting table. She glanced around, stuck her purse in her drawer, hung up her coat, and tried to decide if she dared ask someone to get her coffee so she didn't have to brave the break room, certain it too, had been overrun with disgusting holiday decorations. Dropping into her chair she tried to figure out how she'd get through the next few weeks without losing it and cussing people out at the annual office party. Or any of the other events she might be scheduled to attend. She wondered if she could get out of some of them. Many of them. Most of them. An image of Rafe popped into her head, lying naked beneath a Christmas tree with a jingle bell tied to his cock. Instantly her panties dampened and h

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    Bree thought for sure when the plane finally landed in Chicago, she would have put Texas behind her. She'd deliberately packed her clothes from the weekend and had worn simple slacks and a sweater, her usual casual attire in the city. Even her boots went into the suitcase, but she had no place to put the damn hat. Deliberately ignoring the stares of almost everyone she passed, she pretended she wore it all the time and no one dared to comment.But its very presence on her head reminded her of Rafe, a memory she needed to scrub from her brain if she intended to get on with her life, which she certainly had every intention of doing. She'd taken a little detour, that was all. And enjoyed it far more than she would have expected. But being with a Dom on a regular basis? How would she suppress her own need for control? To be the one in charge?Her head ached with all the questions to which she had no answers. Even two cocktails on the flight did nothing to ease the tight knot she'd tied h

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    Friday night at the munch the allure of Bree Donovan had been almost purely sexual. Almost, because he sensed she kept a shield around herself. And she had been in the company of virtual strangers, trying to be on her best behavior. He didn't miss the unspoken sexual chemistry that blazed between them from the moment he greeted her at the edge of the patio. He saw in her eyes at once that she felt it as much as he did.He almost lost her when he thought she wouldn't stay for the performance. But then she did, and he couldn't help himself, couldn't keep from touching her. Whispering in her ear. Rubbing her cunt through her jeans until a small orgasm ripped through her. For some reason she hadn't stopped him, and a connection forged, whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not.He wasn't the only one who had enjoyed the past two days. Or every minute of last night. He'd pushed her boundaries because he'd sensed that latent, well-hidden need in her to turn the tables sexually, even for

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    Bree nibbled her lower lip while she tried to organize her thoughts. "I don't know how to answer you. I think it might just be the circumstances here. What happened could very well be a once and done."He dipped his head. "It might be." She gave a nervous little laugh. "Aren't you even going to argue with me about it?""What for? You could be right," he leaned forward again. "But you might not. Don't you want to find out?"She shrugged. "It's a moot point. I'm going back to Chicago tomorrow and there isn't a single person there I'd trust to put myself in that situation with. Not one." She added sweetener to her coffee and stirred it. "And what about you? Have you ever wanted to be in a reverse role? Give over control to another person?""Not that I can remember. But maybe I hadn't found the right person. Someone I'd feel comfortable enough doing it with. And I'm not saying it has to be a permanent thing. But think how great it would be for two people who have such strong feelings

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    How could Bree argue with a man who wouldn't argue back? When she left she had on brand new jeans, a silky soft blouse and new bra and bikini panties that felt like sin against her body. And of course, the Stetson. She couldn't do anything about her makeup, but at least she felt fresh. And her new boots, which had proved more comfortable than she'd expected, finished off the outfit in style and she hoped, took attention away from her naked face.Rafe tossed the bag with her other clothes in the back seat, then boosted her up in the front."Man, shopping really works up an appetite, doesn't it?"She couldn't help laughing. "Even when all you do is watch?""Especially then." He winked and cranked over the engine.The restaurant turned out to be everything he promised. The dining room with had high ceilings but walls divided the large room into smaller segments. Rafe was right, tough, that the real place to be was on the veranda, overlooking the river. They sat right by the railing

  • The Pleasure Principle   Chapter 51

    The moment Bree awoke, she realized Rafe had left the bed, although when she touched the sheets on his side, they were still warm. She lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were scattered around in her brain like pebbles rolling down the hill. One thing he'd been right about. Her training with the Master, didn't compare with the feelings aroused in her the night before.He could have pushed her more. She'd actually been prepared for it. But he seemed to have an innate sense of exactly how far to take her this time and when to stop.Wait! This time? That implied there'd be another and she wasn't anywhere near ready to think about that. Besides, she planned to leave the next day and they'd probably never see each other again. Although maybe on her trips to visit the new client, they could get together and - and what, Bree? Pretend they were having some kind of relationship?It might have been fun to switch roles last night, fun being a very mild word for the i

  • The Pleasure Principle   Chapter 50

    The first slap on her ass was a powerful smack that went clear through her body. Then a second one, a third and a fourth. Bree cried out, thankful he'd given permission. She couldn't control her reaction to the pleasure and pain. Her ass was inflamed now, heat spreading down to her thighs. Being on the receiving end told her more than any description could have. The effect on her body was intense, acute arousal that made her muscles clench with need. She could smell her own scent, feel the quivering of the walls of her cunt.When he stopped, she wanted to cry out for him to resume, but that was not her place. He obviously had something in mind, so she'd just wait, biting the inside of her cheek to maintain some semblance of control. She didn't have to wait for long. His fingers, lubed again, eased into her ass, scissoring, pressing and stimulating the tissues. They were still inside her when he spanked her again. Four more times. The combination of the feel of the punishment and his f

  • The Pleasure Principle   Chapter 49

    Bree jumped when Rafe touched his finger to the swollen nub of flesh between the lips of her pussy."Careful. I did that so you could feel my touch. I'm going to touch you many times while I shave you. Caress you. Play with you. And the one thing to remember is you must not come. No orgasm until I give the order. Exactly like the performance last night."In seconds she felt the first slide of the razor over her flesh, the click as it hit the side of the bowl with the water in it. Then a repetition and another. After the third one he traced the line of her slit with a finger. The touch, barely there and so erotic it made her body shake."You like that. I do, too. I think I could spend the night do nothing but playing with your clit, seeing how far I could take you each time before allowing you your release." A pause. "But not tonight."Then the razor stroked over her again. Rafe was right, exactly as she'd been right with many of her subs. Being blindfolded enhanced everything else,

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