Beg For Me by Sierra Cartwright

Chapter Five

Torin regretted staying away from her for so long.

Mira Araceli was utterly lovely, completely captivating. He wanted to please her again and again. Her orgasm had been as loud and unrestrained as the woman herself. Her passion ran deep. She was everything he wanted. All the things that scared the hell out of him.

Worse, he planned to fuck her senseless.

Which was complete madness.

Even if they didn’t plan on it, sex would cloud their working relationship. She fired a possessive streak in him. One that should bother him.

After unfastening her wrists and rubbing the skin to help restore circulation, he helped her back into her ridiculous gown and the annoying petticoats or whatever the hell they were called. He didn’t, however, return her thong.

“Stand still,” he said, working on the frustrating number of hooks and eyes.

“Yes, Master.”

The word rocked through him. Other submissives had referred to him by the honorific, but until now, it hadn’t sent a burst of possessiveness through him. He fumbled the next hook. “Who was the goddamn idiot who thought up this outfit?”

She laughed.

“I’ll ignore your rudeness. And in future, I’ll keep you naked.” His fingers were too big for the tiny metal clasps. In frustration, he skipped a few of them. Good enough.

They needed to debrief, but when he looked at her, her deep brown eyes were clouded. She wasn’t quite back all the way.

Araceli might consider herself tough, but she’d also just had a scene. No doubt endorphins were still swimming through her system.

He grabbed his jacket from the bench, then draped the soft leather bomber over her shoulders. Only then did he feed his belt back through the loops on his jeans.

Torin picked up the leash and considered attaching it. Because of her earlier reaction, he figured they should talk about it before he compelled her to wear it. He made it into a tighter loop and stuffed it in his back pocket.

Then he scooped up his little submissive and her numerous layers of clothing.

Frantically, she kicked her legs. “Sir!”

“Settle down or I’ll toss you over my shoulder.”

“You would, too!”

“Of course.”

He carried her from the room. As he started down the stairs, she turned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. There were ways to get her to behave without an argument.

On the second floor, he shifted her in his arms, then sat on the velvet snuggle couch.

She tried to push away, but he held her tight. He wasn’t sure why she had to be tougher than anyone, never giving in to human needs. As if she had something to prove. “It doesn’t make you weak.” She was the first recruit in the gym each morning. During training, she taped her ankle instead of having a medic check it out. She blazed forward, no matter the terrain or conditions. More recently, she’d been knocked upside of the head, and she’d refused Torin’s assistance. Damn it, he wanted to protect her, make her feel cherished. He settled for, “You just had a hell of a scene.”

“I’m okay.”

“I’m sure you are.” Then he took an emotional risk and admitted, “It takes me some time to come down too. Give me this.”

She sighed. “Do you always have to win?”

“Does it really seem that way?” He turned her a little so he could study her face. “If so, I think you misread me. This isn’t some move on an imaginary chessboard. It’s real. It’s about giving our minds and bodies to readjust to the real world.” After something so fucking sensational.

With great reluctance, fighting his instincts, Torin relaxed his grip so she could escape if she needed to.

But that seemed to be exactly what she needed. Tension seeped from her. Her shoulders rounded, and she rested her head on him.

It was a powerful lesson. She needed to choose her own path, and her surrender was all the sweeter for it.

Hold on loosely.

He wasn’t sure he was strong enough to do that.

Eventually, she splayed her fingers on his chest and closed her eyes. Mindlessly, he stroked her hair. Minutes later, their breathing synchronized. It was a powerful sensation, one he’d never shared with anyone else. “Mo shearc.”

She might have dozed—but he doubted she would admit it—but some time later, she pushed herself away from him. Her absence weighed him down, a cold, physical thing.

“We need to debrief.”

“Do we have to?” She sat up and scooted away from him.

“Afraid so. We can talk at the bar here. Or grab a coffee. Maybe a bite to eat if you need it. Or we can soak in the hot tub.”

She leveled him with a hard look. “With swimsuits.”

“Of course.” Her fierceness made him smile.

“I think I’ll be more comfortable talking away from here. I need to find Hallie to let her know I’m leaving.”

“A friend of yours?”

“We came together.”

“Do you need to do that alone?”

She hesitated for a moment. “No. But I might want a private moment, if she has any concerns.”

He fished the leash from his pocket as he stood. Then he offered his hand to help her.

“Is that thing really necessary, Sir?”

“I say it is.” Would she defy him? He watched a struggle play out on her face. It seemed she was a little bit of a masochist, but not into something she might consider humiliating.

Her safe word hovered between them. As he thumbed open the hook, he waited for her to resist or yield to his wishes.

Though she squeezed her eyes shut, she didn’t protest as he clipped it to her collar. “It’s stunning on you.”

She met his gaze.

“You struggle with this. Why?”

“My training, I guess. If something goes wrong, I want to be free.”

“You were fine during the scene.”

“It doesn’t have to make sense, does it?” She curled her right hand into the fabric of her skirt. “Being restrained while I’m bottoming helps me detach from the ordinary world. I don’t like to play in the main dungeon where there are a lot of people.”

He nodded. “I’ve got your six.”

“You’re completely trustworthy.”

Those words couldn’t have come easily to her, which gave them even more weight.

“It’s not about you or your competence, Sir. This is who I am. My experience of the world. I look out for myself.”

“Have you always?” he asked, words soft.

“Commander—”

“Curious, that’s all.”

“My mother died when I was four.”

From her file, he knew that. What he didn’t know was how it affected her.

“She was lovely, an encouraging, gentle person. My father was…” She trailed off and clamped her lips together.

He waited.

“Former military. West Point.” She shrugged. “Nurturing wasn’t his way, or, rather, isn’t his way. Tough love. All of us being compared to each other, as well as the children of his friends and colleagues. My brothers—both older—had it tougher than I did. My oldest brother followed our dad’s footsteps.”

“And the other?”

“Could never measure up. He tried, but it broke him. He has a…” She exhaled. “I have no idea why I’m telling you all this.”

He appreciated that she was. “Go on,” he invited.

“I guess you’d say he has a gentle soul. So much like our mom.” She wiped a trembling hand across her forehead. “Or what I remember of her. He has a drug problem. Sometimes, he’s on the streets. Dad has disowned him.”

“Jesus.”

Before he could say anything else, Mira held up a hand. “Please. I don’t want your pity. Save that for someone who deserves it. It wasn’t a bad upbringing. We had a nice house, food, clothing, the best schools, all the advantages.”

But not the one thing she craved the most? Her father’s affection, and maybe more importantly, perhaps, his approval? Torin was fortunate. He’d grown up in a family of six kids, all of whom were loved deeply and encouraged to find their own way. It was loud and boisterous, and a firm foundation from which to explore the world. Love was abundant, even when he screwed up.

He lifted the leash several inches. “If this is too much to ask, I’ll remove it.”

“It seems important to you.” Cleverly, Mira had turned his question around.

Because she’d revealed something about herself, he gave her an honest answer. “It pleases me to have others see that you…” He paused. Belong to me. “Are publicly acknowledging your submission.”

“Master Arthur might still be here,” she surmised. “And Mistress Aviana. Tore. Everyone who witnessed the scene. And this is how you can show you’ve claimed me.” Not needing his confirmation, she nodded. “I understand.”

She fucking tilted his world off its axis.

With her leash wrapped around his hand, they descended to the halfway landing. From here, there was an excellent view of most of the club, including RueSensuelle, or as it was colloquially known, Kinky Avenue.

As she searched for her friend, she scanned the occupied settings, a schoolroom, an office, a church. “She must be in the main club.”

“Any sign of her?”

“Yes! She’s watching that rope bondage.”

With his hand in Mira’s hair, they continued down the stairs, then through the back area of the club to the door leading to the main dungeon.

Without stopping, he moved her toward the area she’d indicated. An expert was demonstrating a hogtie on a model, and Torin allowed Mira to lead him to her friend.

“You’re Master Hottie,” Hallie said.

“I’m sorry?”

Mira elbowed Hallie. “Uhm, that’s my nickname for you.” She shrugged. “I’ve seen you here before, and I didn’t know your name.”

He grinned, mostly at Mira’s discomfort. “I’m flattered.”

“Hallie, this is Torin Carter.”

Her mouth fell open as she looked from Torin back to Mira. “That Torin Carter? Like your nemesis? The guy who was standing outside your door while you were busy stroking your—”

“I apologize, Sir. My friend seems to have forgotten all protocol.”

“Partner!” Hallie corrected. “You’re Mir—I mean Ember’s partner. Right?”

“I prefer that to nemesis, yes.”

“Will you excuse me for a moment, Sir?” Mira asked.

With a grin, he unclipped the leash and wound its length around his hand while Mira dragged her friend off to one side.

He wasn’t close enough to overhear anything, but Hallie glanced his direction twice, her mouth open wider each time.

Less than a minute later, they returned.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Hallie told Mira.

“I’m ready, Sir.”

“Nice to meet you, Hallie.”

“I definitely need a job at Hawkeye,” Hallie proclaimed before returning to the demonstration.

“After you,” he said to Mira.

“Did you want to put the leash back on me?”

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Unless you want me to?”

She shook her head ferociously.

When they were in the reception area, he used his phone to arrange for a car. Then he removed her collar.

He offered it and the leash to her. “Will you put them in a coat pocket, please?”

“I should give it back to you.”

“Keep it until we get home. I gave up on a few of those hooks on the back of your dress. You may need to preserve your modesty.”

She grinned. “Before we leave, I need to claim my purse.”

He joined her at the coatroom, resting his fingertips in the small of her back. As she waited for belongings, she stroked her forefinger across her throat where the leather had hugged her skin. Missing it? He could hope so.

* * *

An hour later,he was in the hot tub, jetted bubbles dancing around him. Movement caught his gaze, and Torin glanced up at the carriage house to see Mira descending the staircase. She wore a white robe, and her hair was secured on top of her head with a clip that sparkled beneath a light.

As she walked across flagstones, moonlight bathed her with an otherworldly glow. Though he’d seen her naked, pleasured her, made her scream, she was as much of a mystery as she’d always been.

On the decking, she dropped her robe on a chair. Her bikini was skimpy enough that she might as well be naked. Her nipples pressed against the top, and the bottom didn’t completely cover her buttocks.

With her toes, she tested the water. A metaphor for your life, mo shearc? Until now, he wasn’t sure he’d met a woman whose secrets he intended to unlock. But he wanted to know everything about her. He wouldn’t stop until he did.

“It’s perfect.” She held on to the rail as she entered the tub.

The evening was clear, with blessedly low humidity. It was a little crisp for New Orleans, making it perfect weather to soak in the heated water.

With a sigh, she sat, sinking to her neck. Then gently, she tipped her head forward and rolled her shoulders.

“How does your body feel?”

“None the worse for wear.” She smiled. But she didn’t use the word Sir.

They’d left their scene behind at the Quarter, and she hadn’t asked for help when she removed the dress.

“You’re an excellent Dom, Torin. Everything I could hope.” She blew out a breath.

Studying her, he scowled. “You don’t sound happy about that.”

“I’m not.”

He waited, giving her time to sift through her thoughts, perhaps choose her words.

“The truth is…” She scooted a little farther away. “I would have preferred it if you had been awful, limp-wristed, maybe. If you hadn’t pushed me a little. With most play partners, eight strokes with a belt would have been ideal, but you insisted on more…” She took a breath. “Before you say anything, I know that I have a safe word. That’s not my point. You pushed for more, adding the ones for insubordination. And something inside me soared. I like to be pushed, and you know me well enough to realize it.”

“It wasn’t a challenge.” He’d been watching her, gauging where she was at. All of his actions had been calculated to give her what she wanted.

“I know.” She swirled a finger on the water’s surface. “The whole experience was better than I would have imagined. You were…” She exhaled. “I’m sorry. This is difficult to admit to myself, let alone out loud.” More softly, she finished, “To you.”

“Take your time. But I promise you this. You are safe with me.” Still, she remained quiet. So he took the first step. “You were one of the most responsive subs I’ve ever been with.”

“It was like—I don’t know how this makes any sense, or maybe it sounds ridiculous—as if it wasn’t our first time.”

He wouldn’t have put it that way. But she made perfect sense. Everything about the scene had been natural, seamless. “I get it.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re partners. We’ve worked together and expect certain things from each other?”

Suddenly, he was unaccountably annoyed. “And maybe it’s because it was just fucking right.”

She wove her hand in and out of bubbling water. “Okay. What if we agree on that?”

“Then we have to figure out what the hell to do next.” It wasn’t against Hawkeye policy for them to be lovers. And plenty of people he knew had affairs with fellow operatives. A few even fell in love and got married.

“I want to have sex with you.”

Hell’s fury.His erection was instantaneous.

“But we need to agree on what it is. No attachments.”

That feral part of him strained forward. “Meaning?”

“We’re both physical people, Commander. And we are capable of separating emotion from copulating. We can do our jobs, go about our business. And if it’s convenient, we can have sex.”

“You’re on dangerous ground, Araceli.”

Steam rose from the water, and she waved a hand to disperse it so she could look at him. “Why?”

“I won’t agree to your damn rules.” He’d been rational at the club, but he was far beyond that now. “First of all, I don’t fuck without it meaning something. You may have noticed I don’t share well. And if you’re my…” He looked at her pointedly. What was she? Words failed him. She was more than a hookup. Less than a girlfriend, but he wouldn’t stake his claim any harder if she were. Torin settled on a word that was inadequate. “Lover, then you will not be sleeping with anyone else. If you submit to me, then I will be your Dom. Your only Dom.”

“Our assignment ends soon.”

As if he needed reminding. Soon enough, he’d back at the Aiken Training Facility with a new group of recruits while she was in the field. Long-term wasn’t a possibility for either of them. Once again, he was unaccountably annoyed. His life was mapped out, and he enjoyed it. But now, the idea of being alone made the future look dark, unappealing. “I’m not flexible. I want to explore you, take you inside where I can make you scream and beg as loud as you need to. But I won’t do it unless you agree to my terms.”

Her response took forever, long enough for a vise to clamp around his heart and threaten to consume him.

When she spoke, her words were as cautious as he would expect from her. “If I agree to your terms?”

“Then I’ll ask you how hard you want it.” She didn’t need to answer. This time, he knew what she would say.

“Take me inside?”

She was lucky that he didn’t just bend her over one of the chairs and claim her outside. If the condoms weren’t inside the carriage house, he might do just that.

He climbed the steps of the tub, then offered his hand to help her. She wrapped up in her robe, and he draped a towel around his shoulders.

When they reached their temporary home, he turned on a light, then locked the door behind them. “The robe, Araceli.”

Her gaze fixed on him, she removed it.

“Now get rid of the swimsuit.”

She sucked in a breath. “Yes, Sir.”

That fast, they were back in their roles. Had she needed this from him all along?

Goose bumps dotted her skin as she reached to untie the strings behind her neck. Then she flicked open the front closure and let the top float to the floor.

Then, her gaze on him, she worked the bottom piece down. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to tempt him or whether the material wasn’t cooperating because it was wet. The end result was the same—it was taking her forever, and the torment made his cock so hard that his trunks could no longer contain it. “You belong to me.”

Like him, she had a few scars, from the job and the rigors of training. They made her more exquisite. “Will you turn around? I want to see if your ass is still red.”

Instantly, and with grace, she turned.

“All gone.”

“Even the ones on my thighs?”

“Even those,” he confirmed.

“I…”

“Need more?” He raised an eyebrow. “Lasting ones?”

“Yes.” She took a step toward him. “I need you to fuck me.”

Like oxygen, she sustained him.

“But first, do you mind if I shower? I want to wash off the chlorine.”

He didn’t mind at all. “I’ll watch.”

As if to instinctively protest, she opened her mouth. Then she closed it again, and her eyes widened with interest.

“After you,” he said.

Mira bent to scoop her wet suit and robe from the floor, then led the way down the hallway to the bathroom. After depositing the garments in the laundry hamper, she turned on the faucets.

Since his last stay in the carriage house, the place had been remodeled. In addition to a clawfoot tub, an oversize walk-in shower had been installed. There was an overhead waterfall showerhead as well as a handheld wand.

Arms folded across his chest, he watched her stand beneath the spray.

Looking at him, she lathered the soap she must have used earlier, the one that reminded him of wildflowers. When her hands were completely covered in the bubbles, she returned the purple-colored bar to the little dish on the side.

Giving him the show he expected, she rubbed her palms over her breasts, making tiny circles, then taking turns lifting each to stroke up from the bottom.

It took all his self-control to be the stoic Dom when he really wanted his hands all over.

When she was completely covered in tiny bubbles, she reached for the handheld showerhead.

“I’ll take that.”

Eyes wide, she offered him the handle.

“Come closer to me.” He started with her hands, then directed the spray over her chest and down her breasts before continuing lower toward her belly. “Spread your legs for me.”

She sighed as he rinsed her pussy.

He could bathe her every day and not get tired of it. “I want to do your ass. Turn around and part your buttocks.”

Mira swallowed deeply, but she whispered a respectful, intoxicating, “Yes, Master Torin.”

Water sluiced between her ass cheeks, over her most private places. Soon, he realized his folly. Taking care of her was turning him on even more, and he was anxious to be inside her.

More quickly than before, he crisscrossed her body with the spray before replacing the showerhead and turning off the faucets. “Dry off and meet me in the living room. I’d like you naked and kneeling.”

She nodded.

When she left, the wildflower scent still rich on the air, he stripped off and took a quick shower.

On his way back to the living room, wearing only a towel, he grabbed a condom.

She was waiting for him, kneeling on a small rug, head down, legs spread, and… Fuck… Wearing the collar. A sub had never pleased him more. “Come here.”

Mira accepted his help up.

He plucked the clip from her hair, sending the long, luxurious strands tumbling around her shoulders. Then he grabbed a handful and pulled back her head.

Her eyes were hazed over. Anticipating his unspoken words, she parted her lips. Lost in her, Torin took her mouth. Her tongue met his, and he tasted the sweetness of her compliance. He was no longer capable of tenderness. Instead, he was determined to prove how much he meant his earlier words. Right now—if not forever—she belonged to him alone.

Torin thrust his tongue in and out of her mouth. With his kiss, he let her know what to expect when he fucked her.

As if she were made for him, she leaned into him, soothing all that was savage. She wrapped her arms around him and held on as if she’d never let go.

They were bare skin to bare skin. He dragged her close enough that her breasts were against him, her nipples hard, demanding nubs.

With reluctance, he ended the kiss. A hot desire for more drove him. He dragged over a chair. “Put your palms on the seat.”

Without hesitation, she did.

The air conditioner kicked on, swirling cool air over their still-damp bodies, making her nipples even harder.

When she was in position, she looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyes widened. “Damn.”

He raised an eyebrow as he rolled the condom down his cock. “See something you like?”

“Ah. That’s impressive. Even the other night… I… I had no idea you were that big.”

“Problem, sub?”

She blinked alluringly. “I’ll do my best. Sir.”

“I’ve always admired your can-do attitude.”

He strode toward her and placed his left palm on her shoulder. She sucked in a sharp breath. Good. He liked her being as affected as he was.

Torin skimmed his fingertips down her spine. Her head dropped forward, and her hair hid her features from him. She moved her body in response to his touch. He paused at the gentle curve of her spine. Then he used both of his hands to part her buttocks. “You like it hard.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He slapped her right ass cheek. Instantly, he soothed the ache.

In silent invitation, Mira lifted up.

He played with her pussy, stroking her clit, sliding his finger gently in and out of her, making sure she was wet and ready.

When she whimpered, he moved in closer to place his cockhead at her entrance. She jiggled her buttocks. “Demanding, are you?”

“Dying.” The word emerged on a strangled breath that he had to strain to hear. “There’s a difference, Sir.”

A little at a time, he inserted his length into her, sliding in, then back out.

“Please.”

He filled her, and her internal muscles clenched around him. He tipped back his head and closed his eyes, fighting back his imminent orgasm. He should have beat off in the shower.

Focusing on her, he reached beneath her to torment her nipples, and she gasped. “Too hard?”

“No. Just, earlier, the bricks. I’m tender, and I’m on the edge of an orgasm.”

“But you’re not going to, are you? Not unless I give permission?”

“No. No, Sir.” She panted when he tightened his grip and simultaneously pushed her breasts together. “Oh, Sir! I’m so, so close.”

Torin continued his torment until she begged. Only then did he slowly release her, making her whimper in protest.

He changed positions, wrapping her up, one arm across her rib cage, the other across her upper chest. “I want you to stand up.”

“Yes.” She pushed off her hands, and he appreciated how physically capable she was.

As she eased upright, his cock sank deeper into her. When he was balls-deep, she gasped. “Too much?”

“No.” She arched her spine, then slid a hand behind his neck for support. “I’ve been fantasizing about this for years.”

“Years?” Her confession caused his cock to throb with incessant demand.

“Please, Sir. Please may I come?”

The knowledge that the attraction hadn’t been one-sided made him drive up into her, hard, impaling her with his thrusts. It was raw, animalistic, filled with lust, and they were consummating a heat that had burned for years. For the moment she was his, and he’d leave her no doubt about it. “Yes. Come for me, my beautiful Mira.”

Her body squeezing around him, she screamed.

Mira came in convulsing waves, and he tightened his hold on her as her hand slipped to fall by her side.

Her climax pushed him over the top. In a hot stream, he ejaculated, the orgasm ripped from the deepest part of him. It was both brutal and satisfying. But it wasn’t even close to filling his desperate hunger for her.

She tipped her head back to rest on his chest, and he kissed the top of her head. He’d never had an experience like that.

Her breaths were labored, and she curled her fingers into her forearm. “Are you doing okay?”

For a moment, she didn’t respond, and he was content to hold her, breathing in her scent. “That was everything I imagined.”

He’d never been this complete.

And it wasn’t enough.

He had to know every inch of her. “I’m going to take you to the bedroom.” He stroked the column of her neck.

“Yes. Please, Sir.”