She choked, and red stained her cheeks.

He smothered a smile. In the lifestyle for years and still modest? Amazing. “Answer me, sub.”

She took a hefty swallow of her drink. “I don’t.” After a second, she managed to look him in the eye. She had lovely eyes, the color of the turquoise jewelry his mother collected.

“Why not?”

The red deepened. Normally he enjoyed seeing a sub flush, but this was almost painful.

“I… It didn’t… I couldn’t get off, and I can’t explain why.”

But oddly enough, he could understand. He’d come to a few conclusions about her. He figured her last relationship started off well, even with good sex, but as it turned ugly, she’d probably shut down her response to pleasure as well as pain.

Could her arousal be dependent on being dominated? “Could you orgasm before those two years?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Good. “Was that just from masturbation or also with a man? And, if so, what kind of men?”

Her brows, thin arches of reddish-brown, drew together.

“What?” he asked.

“This isn’t what I expected. Questions. Talking.”

“A conversation of sorts?” Nolan ran his fingertips along her jawline, noting the stubborn set to her chin despite the delicate bones. “Didn’t any of the other Doms talk with you?”

“I…” She stared down at her hands. “They tried. I didn’t want… I just wanted to get started.” She glanced up at him hopefully.

He stomped that hope to dust. “Not gonna happen, sugar. You’re going to learn to talk to me. Answer my questions.”

“Yes, I could get off with men before,” she snapped, then turned dead white, flinching away from him.

Leaning back, he set his boots on the coffee table and took a slug of Corona. He’d almost forgotten he had the damn drink. “I’m not going to haul off and hit you, Beth. During a scene, I expect proper respect. During a conversation, as long as you refrain from outright rudeness, I will tolerate more.” He smiled and toyed with the half-curls touching her shoulder. Apparently the fiery glow of her hair was matched by her spirit. “It’s rather fun to see you flare up. What kind of men got you off?”

Chapter Three

“Well…” How in the world was she supposed to answer that? Beth frowned.

Master Nolan took her hand and held it despite her efforts to pull away. “Big men? Gentle men? Doms or vanilla?”

“Beth, you’re here!” Attired in a tight blue latex dress, Jessica trotted up and leaned over the back of the couch. “I’m glad you made it. Do you want—”

Master Nolan didn’t even look up. “Jessica. Go away.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jessica said brightly without moving. “I haven’t seen Beth, and I wanted to talk to her for—”

“Silence.” Master Nolan’s face turned cold. Mean. Eyes widening, Jessica took a quick step back.

He lifted his hand, and a trainee hurried over. “Sir?”

“Fetch Master Z immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” The sub ran. Beth would be running too if the Dom looked at her like that.

Master Z must have been at the bar for he appeared within a minute. “Is there a problem?”

“Your sub interrupted, spoke to my sub without permission, and ignored my order to leave.” Master Nolan’s ruthless gaze flicked over Jessica, returned to Master Z. “Deal with her.”

Master Z’s jaw tightened as he heard the offenses. He hadn’t even looked at Jessica. Now he asked Master Nolan, “Do you wish to participate?”

Master Nolan snorted. “I have enough on my plate.”

“She was just worried about me,” Beth said. She couldn’t let Jessica be hurt for trying to help. “That’s not fair that—”

Master Nolan’s gaze settled on her like black fire. “Be silent.”

Her tongue froze in her mouth.

“Please send for Jessica later so she can apologize properly,” Z said to Master Nolan. Z’s gaze when it settled on Jessica was enough to chill Beth inside and out.

Face pale, Jessica took a step back. “Sir, I didn’t—”

Z shook his head, and Jessica closed her mouth, biting her lip until it turned white. After locking her cuffs together, he pulled her away, heading toward the stockade. His voice trailed back, “Since you enjoy annoying Doms so much, I think we’ll let the Doms show their appreciation.”

Beth touched Master Nolan’s wrist and dared to say, “Sir, she was just trying to help me.”

His cheek creased as if he almost smiled. “I know. And I wouldn’t have pursued the matter if she’d left when ordered. But she’s not only loyal but also foolish.” He put a finger under the glass she held, lifted it toward her mouth. “Finish that before it’s undrinkable.”

She drank it down, and a slight buzz hummed through her veins. Cullen made strong drinks.

“Tell me about the men you’ve been with.”

“You are so tenacious.” She huffed in exasperation, shocked when he laughed rather than slapping her to the ground.

He’d actually laughed. God, he looked different when the coldness disappeared. The sun lines around his eyes crinkled, a crease appeared in his cheek, and he was… Her world shifted sideways, leaving her dizzy. She could not be attracted to him.

“How long were you in the lifestyle before you met the asshole?”

“Not very long.” She tried to remember something that seemed a lifetime ago. “A month or two?”

“So you’d been with a Dom before you met the asshole?”

“Two.” He made a give me more motion with his fingers, so she continued. “The last one had been a Dom for maybe a couple years, and he was nice. He took good care of me.”

“You got off every time?”

“About half.” Kyler had seemed so much more dangerous, so thrilling in comparison to sweet Andy. And the sex with Kyler had been wonderful at first.

“Tell me about the other one.”

Her lips curved. “He enjoyed teaching new subs, and he was very strict. No backtalk, only ‘Yes, Sir.’” Her smile grew at the thought of him. “I think I tested every limit he set, kind of like Jessica does.”

“And what did he do for punishment? Are any of those scars from him?”

“No, he never did anything to break the skin.” The thought would have appalled Master Chris. “Spanking, paddles. A flogger or cane once in a while. He embarrassed me once, and that was horrible.” She winced inside at the memory, and then added, “But I’ve done so much since then that I don’t embarrass easily.”

“That’s good to know,” he said. After setting his beer down, he lifted her onto his lap as if she didn’t weigh a pound. With unyielding hands, he leaned her back until her head rested on the arm of the couch, her body across his thighs, and her legs on the seat cushions. Her bustier flopped open, leaving her breasts pointing up in the air. After licking his finger, he ran it around her nipple.

Her face heated. What was he thinking? Indignation rolled through her. Scenes belonged in the roped-off areas. In those locations, her mind was steeled for being in public, and her body prepared. But sitting here in the middle of the bar being treated like a toy doll? No, this was just wrong. Her hand came up to push him away, and he looked at her, waiting for her to do just that. She set her arm carefully back at her side.

“Good girl.” His voice warmed. He ran his big hand across her breasts and down her stomach in long, slow strokes as if petting a cat. “So, with the strict Dom, how often did you climax with him?”

“Every time. Sometimes even when I didn’t expect to.” She sighed. The happy memories felt so distant, glowing somewhere on the horizon, nowhere she’d ever be again.

“And with the bastard, how did you fare, orgasm-wise, with him?”

Somehow it was getting easier to talk with him, maybe because of his lack of reaction to whatever she said. Just that intense attention. His hand caressed her breasts. “At first, really good. And later, not at all.”

“As the pain got worse.”

“Yeah.” She breathed in and dared to ask, “So what happens tonight?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” he murmured. “I had a long day, and it feels good to get off my feet. I like having you stretched across me, offering me your breasts. And your mouth.” He bent to take her lips, harder than he had last week, taking possession, demanding her tongue back. He drew the kiss out, nibbling on her lips, before plunging back into her mouth. No hurry, no urgency. Just firm lips against hers, the plunge of his tongue, the slight scrape of his beard shadow.

Her body warmed as his scent engulfed her, soap and leather and a hint of masculine musk. His hands moved over her breasts slowly, massaging, circling the nipples. Then he took a peak between his fingers and sent jolts of pain/pleasure through her.

By the time he drew back, her breathing was ragged, and her hands were clamped onto his rock-hard biceps.

He glanced down at her pleated PVC skirt. “Nice skirt.” His hand ran up her leg, under the skirt. When he discovered the bikini briefs she wore, his brows drew together. “Lift your hips up.”