Jake Read online

  “We’ll sit here and enjoy the show.”

  She turned away from the empty stage, but Jake pushed her head around. “You will keep your eyes on the participants when they arrive unless I say otherwise. Understand?”

  “Yes, Sir,” she answered glumly.

  If only she could feel something? She had loved sex, but she hadn’t been able to even get a little excited now. She’d loved being flogged, loved being on display, loved scening, and the aftercare, but there was too much danger in it. As she watched, a Dom came onto the stage area. He carried a bag and dropped it onto the floor. A moment later a sub raced up. She was dressed in a pink corset and a pink thong.

  “Sorry, Sir.”

  “Another five for being late.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  He pointed to the padded fuck bench—that same sawhorse that she’d been restrained by one ankle on. Emily held her breath as the sub was cuffed on it.

  I will not react. I will not react. I will not react.

  The Dom took a flogger from his bag and raised it over his head, then brought it down with a loud swish across her bottom. She gave a little whimper, half in excitement and half in pain. Emily bit her bottom lip and breathed heavily through her nose. The scene didn’t arouse her because she refused to allow it. There was danger—it was too close to reliving.

  I will not react.

  Another half a dozen hits to the sub’s now reddened cheeks and her cries had turned to moans now as the Dom bent and took a crop from his bag of goodies. Emily began to remember the touch of a crop against her skin, then forced the memory back down. It would be too dangerous to recall anything that might make her respond.

  I will not react.

  The sub’s body was now a pattern of red welts, and her groans told those watching of how aroused, how excited she was. Her Dom went to her head and lifted it by her hair. He now unzipped his pants, held his cock in his hand, and forced her to suck it, her head bent back awkwardly. He fucked her mouth until his grunts and her gagging echoed across the expanse. Emily shut her eyes.

  She felt Jake’s lips against her ear. “Keep your eyes open.”

  Damn him. Damn the man! I will not react.

  The Dom finally came, his sub forced to swallow his cum. He let her head drop and hit her a few times with the crop again. Walking around her body, he picked up a vibrator and switched it on. With one hand he kept striking her ass with the crop while he fucked her pussy with the vibrator. Soon she was screaming with her orgasm, but he kept it up until she came a couple more times. When she’d sagged against the bench, her moans now whimpers, he swiftly unbound her and gathered her in his arms. He kissed her then, a deep, wonderful, passionate kiss, and he carried her off the stage and settled in a quiet corner to care for her.

  Emily stiffened her body and fought within herself. She fought hard to push down her tears. She fought to push down the memories that the scene had tried to force into her mind. She fought to push down the fear, the terror, it threatened to dredge up. She couldn’t face the despondency.

  “Relax.”

  That soft masculine voice in her ear, soothing, calming. It whispered words that were so soft she couldn’t make them out, but Emily blew out her breath through her mouth then took a huge breath in. She could do this. She really could.

  “Relax, my Little Bird. I won’t let you fall.”

  And somehow Emily knew he wouldn’t and therein lay the very real danger.

  Chapter Ten

  Jake sat on the back steps, his usual black coffee in hand, and thought about last night.

  “What the hell has Ash got me into, Linus?”

  The dog raised his head from where he’d been asleep in the morning sun and gazed up at Jake. When no treats or pats were forthcoming he dropped his head and went back to sleep.

  Why the hell did I agree to this? Fuck.

  He knew as soon as he’d held Emily, when she’d curled herself tightly into his lap, he knew he had to take care of her. But why? How many other unattached subs had he cared for over the years? Dozens and dozens. But none had really needed him, not the way he felt Emily did. There was something about her that hit him hard. For too many years he’d held himself apart from any sort of involvement.

  Since Anna had cheated, he honestly hadn’t been game enough to risk his heart. Instead he’d locked it away. But holding Emily, hearing the anguish in her voice, seeing that terrible pain written in her eyes, he’d felt his heart crack and felt her sneak inside it. She was a beautiful woman, and he adored all those plentiful curves. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. And now there was a good chance his self-imposed exile from getting emotionally involved would come tumbling down around him and he’d be caught. Then what would happen?

  It was obvious Emily was dealing with her own tragedy. If he got her to open up and she relaxed, would there be any chance of something between them? Probably not and it was just as well. He was only the trigger she needed to get through whatever it was that was haunting her. There was a real danger he’d be the one left haunted. He’d have to somehow keep his distance.

  Fuck!

  Getting to his feet, he went into the now empty kitchen and picked up the sander lying on the floor. The I-bar had been boxed in with plasterboard and all the holes filled where the cabinets and white goods had been removed. Once he’d finished sanding it would be ready to paint in preparation for the refit. He spent the day working, trying to keep his mind focused, but time and time again he thought of Emily, loving the way she had curled on his lap, the soft flesh under his hands.

  This wouldn’t do. He was only there to support her through whatever was bothering her. He wasn’t there to become her true Master.

  All through the week he worked on the kitchen and family room, but Emily was never far from his mind. Try as he might, he couldn’t help wondering what she might be doing or would she open up to him? He spent some time at Kaden’s workshop, letting Linus play with Lucy while he watched Kaden tinkering on his Caddy. Tuesday morning, he went back to his usual weekly routine of going to the gym with Ash and Finn. He talked to Ash about Emily, but Ash couldn’t think of anything they could do until she told Jake what was upsetting her. Jake wished Steven was back from his honeymoon. He wanted to pick his brains as well, to see if he had any suggestions, any ideas of how he could get Emily to talk to him.

  By six-forty-five on Friday evening, he was eager to get to the club. He had told Emily to meet him in the lounge area at seven-thirty. After showering and dressing in his leathers and black shirt, he laced up his boots, then drove the twenty minutes to the club. Walking inside, he nodded hello to Stan then went into the men’s locker room to drop off his phone, keys, and wallet. He’d left his bag in the locker and decided it could stay there for the moment. Then he went in search of Emily. He couldn’t hold back a grin when he saw her. She hadn’t noticed him and was perched on the edge of one of the couches, seemingly rather nervous. Her head was down. She lifted it and saw him. It surprised him to see a swift play of emotions across her face. First was pleasure, then apprehension, and finally fear.

  Why would she be frightened of him? Maybe it had something to do with her knowledge that he would keep pressing her to tell him what had scared her the other night with Adrian. He hoped that was the only reason. She leaped to her feet then dropped down to her knees, adopting the classic sub pose with her hands behind her and gaze downcast. He noticed her left arm was held at an awkward angle, and she had a grimace of pain on her face.

  “Good evening, Emily.”

  “Hello, Sir.”

  “Stand up.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  She stood alongside him.

  “Your arm, the left one. What happened?”

  “I—it.” She tensed, went pale, and her nostrils flared. A deep breath and then she continued. “It’s broken. I mean it was—in a few places.”

  Jake didn’t pursue the matter. It was obvious the break occurred from her accident, which
seemed to be a very touchy subject, but he didn’t like seeing her in discomfort.

  “From now on when you adopt a waiting pose you will place your hands on your knees. Will that be easier for you?”

  “Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

  “We are going upstairs.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Jake turned on his heel and took the stairs two at a time. He could hear her following behind, probably almost running to keep up with him. He wandered down one side of the building, trying to remember which stage Kaden had told him earlier in the day that he would be working on. Jake had decided earlier this would be the perfect scene to watch. Finally, he found the area.

  It was an intimate area, close to one of the largest stages, with plenty of seating and room for people to watch. There were several ropes attached to the ceiling joists hooked to one side, keeping them out of the way until Kaden needed them. He’d already tied suspension rings onto them ready to take the hooks and carabiners to hang his subject. Jake pointed to the floor beside a couch, and Emily immediately knelt, her hands on her knees, waiting for her next order. Jake stood, watching Kaden.

  Kaden was setting up. He was what was referred to as a nawashi or a kinbakushi, a Master in kinbaku, the art of erotic bondage. He had studied under a Master in Japan for almost three years when he was thirty-one and had been back to study more a few times. He still insisted he was learning the art, and Jake thought it was very beautiful to watch his friend at work. Kaden was only serious about two things—cars and kinbaku. Everything else was only something to joke and laugh about.

  Kaden finished laying out his emergency shears and cutters, then about ten bundles of natural asanawa jute rope on the furoshiki, the Japanese cloths he carried his ropes in, on the floor. He saw Jake and came over to him. They did the “pound-hug” thing, and then Kaden spoke.

  “Hey, how’s Linus?”

  “Good. What about Lucy?”

  “Missing him.”

  “So, who volunteered?”

  “Renata. Peter’s on DM duty and said I could borrow her.”

  “Perfect. I can’t wait.”

  “Can I say hello to Emily?”

  “Sure.”

  Kaden walked over to where Emily knelt. “Hello, Emily.”

  She raised her gaze. “Hello, Master Kaden.”

  “Is Master Jake treating you nicely?”

  Her eyes widened. “Of course, Sir.”

  “You come to me if there’s a problem. I’ll take care of it.”

  It was obvious poor Emily didn’t know how to answer as Jake nudged his friend. “Enough, Kade. Ignore Master Kaden, Emily, he thinks he’s being funny.”

  “Oh. Um. Yes, Sir.”

  Renata came over to the two men and waited until they finished speaking. Kaden turned to her. “Renata, will you go onto the stage? I’ll be there in a moment.”

  “Yes, Master Kaden.”

  “Dinner on Wednesday with Ash and his family?”

  “Yep, I’ll be there. Go. Put on a good show.”

  “Just for you, darling, I will.” He kissed Jake on the cheek and stepped back quickly as Jake growled. Laughing, Kaden took to the stage and spoke quietly to Renata. Jake went to the couch alongside Emily and sat. People were beginning to settle in the chairs around the area as Jake spoke quietly to Emily.

  “Come, sit on my lap. It will be a long session, and you need to be comfortable.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  Emily got to her feet and perched daintily on the edge of Jake’s knees. He smiled to himself as he pulled her closer, enjoying the weight of her on his legs and the softness of her curves. He settled her in a more comfortable position.

  “As well as thinking everything is a joke, Master Kaden is a kinbaku master, a sensei.”

  “He is? I didn’t know, Sir. He was always asking if he could tie me up.”

  “Yes, that would be him. Do you enjoy watching a binding?”

  “I’ve seen a few people doing shibari, Sir. Isn’t kinbaku the same?”

  “They are both similar. Master Kaden can explain it. From what I understand shibari is bondage tying while kinbaku is shibari plus an emotional connection, something more erotic and sensual. He also avoids using knots, rather weaves the ropes instead, something to do with the original use of binding of higher classed Japanese prisoners. I’m not exactly sure.”

  “I see, Sir.”

  Jake looked back to the stage. Kaden had Renata stretching out before he began the binding. By now the area was crowded, and Kaden noted the spectators.

  “Hi. Tonight I intend to do an inverted, a face-down suspension—a sky suspension. Enjoy.”

  Kaden wore his usual Japanese jacket, his haori, and a pair of loose black cotton pants. After removing the haori, he took the wrap off Renata and held both her hands. Kaden spoke softly to her. His words didn’t reach the audience, but she smiled and nodded. Both of them closed their eyes and took a few deep breaths. Kaden dropped her hands then began to carefully wind rope. The crowd was hushed as they watched Kaden slowly bind Renata. Emily kept her eyes focused on the stage, and Jake heard her breathing, relaxed and sound. He kept an arm around her as they watched, drawing her against his chest.

  Over the next seventy minutes Kaden covered Renata in ropes. He at first had her standing as he began binding her arms and torso. Then he made her lie on the long, thin table as each set of ropes was looped through a central ring and she was forced to arch her body. He threaded two of the hanging ropes through the central ring and began hoisting her up. Once satisfied she was secure and safe, he continued down her legs until he reached her ankles. Kaden then bound her ankles to her wrists, making her bend like a banana but now fully encased in the ropes.

  During the process, Renata’s breathing had increased, ‘til now that she was suspended, it was easy to see she was “rope drunk”. A couple of the ropes had covered her pussy, rubbing on her clit. All anyone could hear was Renata’s aroused breathing, her tiny mewls of excitement. Jake felt it was impossible not to be affected by the erotic scene playing out in front of them. He thought all those watching were aroused—all except Emily.

  Over the past half hour, she had become increasingly tense. She was breathing rapidly through her nose, and Jake got the impression she was trying desperately not to react. Jake couldn’t understand why she didn’t allow herself the pleasure, the excitement of watching such a sensual scene. Jake had doubted anyone could watch without being stimulated in some way, and yet Emily was holding herself very tight. To Jake, she seemed tighter than an almost overwound watch-spring. The trouble was those watches eventually broke!

  By the time Kaden had finished and gave Renata a gentle push to make her rock back and forth, Jake was worried. Emily was so tense, he worried she might scream.

  Kaden nodded to the watchers and thanked them as Peter came to the stage, and seeing his wife bound and “rope drunk”, he grinned at Kaden.

  “Thank you for allowing me to use your beautiful sub.”

  “Hell! She’s gone high into the ‘space already.”

  “Perhaps she’d enjoy a few strokes of the crop, Master Peter.”

  “I think she would.”

  Peter took a crop from the ones on the wall and flicked hard it across her breasts. Five more times and she began moaning. Another five she shuddered and came as the watchers applauded. Jake stood Emily on the floor then got to his feet. He took her hand and practically dragged her from the scene and to a quiet area of the club. Sitting down on a couch, he made Emily stand in front of him.

  “This has got to stop! Emily, you’re pushing everything down. It seems as if you’re frightened to relax, to let go. What the hell is going on?”

  “I’m sorry, Sir.”

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it anymore. I agreed to take care of you when Master Ash asked, but how the fuck can I when you won’t talk to me?”

  Those big honey-colored eyes filled with pain, and Jake’s heart flipped. He pulled her close to h
im and rested the side of his head against her stomach.

  “I’m sorry, Emily, but if I’m to help you through whatever it is, you have to at least meet me halfway.”

  “I know, Sir, I do. But—”

  “But what?”

  “I can’t.”

  “Argh.”

  His shook his head, clamping down hard on his mouth. This was extremely frustrating. If only he knew what it was that had changed what he understood as a woman who loved the lifestyle into one who was afraid of her own shadow. He sighed, trying to relax, and dragged her down onto his lap.

  “I want to help you, Em.”

  “I know you do, Sir. I know.”

  “But you won’t let me. You’re killing yourself, holding whatever it is inside. Do you understand, Emily? Do you really understand? Keep this up and you will shatter into a million pieces.”

  She merely nodded against his chest. Her body was tighter than a drum skin as he held her. She wasn’t going to talk—not tonight, maybe never. He drew a loud frustrated breath.

  “Tell me about yourself. You said you’re an illustrator. Have you always done that?”

  She seemed surprised once again at his change of topic but only nodded.

  “Tell me about that, or can’t you?”

  She flinched, and Jake wished he could take back the dissatisfaction, the sarcasm so evident in his voice.

  “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. Please tell me.”

  She gave a tiny nod but then drew a deep breath.

  “I worked for a company that made greeting cards and stuff. Up north. I was with them for years, but then they started doing more and more of the work on computers.”

  “Yes, I can understand that. Even in my field computers are taking over the design process. So, you left them?”

  “They referred me to another company on the east coast. It was still in the illustration area but not doing cards. It was a really great job. I—I—” Jake felt her tense even more. He waited until she spoke again. After a minute or so she kind of rushed on as she said, “I had to leave them, and then my mother got sick and I came back here.”