“Son of a bitch,” James swore. “No wonder she’s so wary around men. Can’t say I blame her. I’ll be careful with her. I don’t want her to fear me. It sickens me that any woman would have reason to fear men as she does.”“In that we agree,” Derrick said. “Clement couldn’t give Sandra what she needed. Dominance. And she loved him too much to ask it of him. But he knew. And now that she’s taken that step and wants what I can give her, I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy again.”“I wish you luck,” James said sincerely. “She’s a good woman. You’re a lucky son of a bitch.”“I know,” Derrick said quietly.They both fell silent when Sandra reentered the room carrying the silver tray with the hors d’oeuvres she’d prepared earlier.She was a dream in the kitchen. When she and Clement had entertained in their home she’d always prepared all the food despite Clement telling her he’d have it catered. She’d always laughed and told him there was no need and that she enjoyed cooking. Derrick lo

“And then I’m going to fuck your mouth, Sandra. But I won’t cum. Not yet. When I’m close, I’ll flog you again until your ass is burning and you’re on fire with the need for relief. And then I’m going to fuck that ass. I’m going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won’t be gentle. Not tonight. I’m going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I’m going to cum all over your ass. I’ll mark it with my cum just like I marked you with the crop. And then I’ll fuck you some more, filling your ass until it spills down the insides of your gorgeous thighs. Think you can handle that, honey? Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated? Taken over and used purely for my pleasure?”The words were silky in her ears, sending her into a dreamlike haze. She could barely form a coherent response, so aroused was she by his statements. It was everything she’d fantasized about, only now it was real and in the here and now and not in her darkest drea

She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of his movements. And then she heard the sharp smack of leather. Her eyes jerked open. The noise had jarred her from her dreamlike state, but there was no pain. It took her a moment to realize that he hadn’t struck her. Not yet.She flinched when he touched the leather flap to her spine near the base of her skull and slowly slid it down her back to her buttocks where the plug split her cheeks. She held her breath, anticipating, waiting. But nothing happened.“Breathe, Sandra. Don’t hold it in. I’ll make you wait even longer if you don’t relax.”She blew out her breath, sagging as she tried to force herself to comply with his order. And then pain blew over her skin like a blowtorch. She jumped, unable to prevent her reaction to the shock of that first blow. Her eyes widened in surprise. That had hurt!It was instinctive to immediately say her safe word, to retreat behind the safety that word gave her. But she bit her lip, determined to stick

It was one of the things Clement had loved most about her. No coy, passive-aggressive games. No pouting endlessly over some imagined slight. If something upset her, he knew about it. He never had to ask because she was too honest and up front, especially with people she cared about.“Are you sure?” she asked quietly. “I’m still learning all of this and I don’t want to mess up, so if I do, you have to tell me, otherwise I’ll never know how to correct the mistake.”He kissed her, hugging her tightly against him. “You did nothing wrong, Sandra. And if you had, I have every confidence that it would have been done innocently. You’re too honest and straightforward about things. It’s one of the things I most admire about you. There’s no guessing with you because you tend to take the bull by the horns.”She relaxed, some of her worry dissipating. “I’m sorry. I know I sound defensive, but this is very important to me. I need you to understand that. This isn’t a game to me. It isn’t me seeking

“If you don’t apologize to Sandra right this minute, I’ll ask you to leave, and furthermore, you will come into the office on Monday only to clear out your desk and tender your resignation,” Derrick said in a frigid tone. “What is between me and her is none of your business. She doesn’t require your approval or blessing, though she’d like to have both. She loves you and she’d cut off her arm before ever purposely hurting you. But you’re hurting her and that’s bullshit. I won’t have it and I damn sure won’t allow you to come into our home. Yes, our home, Sophia. Sandra is with me, and you have two choices. Accept it and be happy for her or get out. Which is it going to be?”Sandra felt the color bleed from her own face, a match to Sophia’s. She shook uncontrollably and it seemed to anger Derrick all the more. His hold tightened around her to the point that she could barely breathe. No, she hadn’t expected Sophia to take it well, but neither had she expected Sophia to lash out at her li