Page 13 of Caging Cessie (Submissives of Rawhide Ranch #20)

Cessie stood naked before him.

Once they’d stood up from dinner, he’d led her to the bathroom.

Erika, Derek’s assistant, had arranged for several of the Ranch’s service submissives to unpack for them while they ate breakfast, so he knew Cessie’s supplies were in there.

He wasn’t surprised when he heard the shower start, given that she hadn’t showered this morning.

He covered the charcuterie platter and slid it into the fridge—they’d be back for it in a moment but no one liked sweaty cheese—and then retrieved the box of supplies he’d had custom-made for this trip.

The cage too had been custom and cost a pretty penny.

Leon had worked with Colton Reed, an extremely talented carpenter who designed and made furniture for the Ranch, including many pieces in the Dungeon.

Colton had known a kink-friendly blacksmith in one of the nearby towns who had been happy to build the cage and had not asked questions.

Leon had wanted it to have a domed top like an old-fashioned birdcage, but that had been too complicated, but the upper cross pieces were needed to stabilize the structure which was heavy enough to be sturdy but not bolted to the walls or floor.

Colt and his crew had set it up for him before they arrived, though Leon warned Derek that they might end up staying in the main resort if Leon didn’t think she could handle this.

Cessie had emerged from the bathroom entirely naked. He’d been surprised to see she’d shaved her pussy, her labia looking naked and vulnerable in a way that called to him. Her hair was still damp and brushed straight back away from her face to hang in a heavy curtain behind her back.

Between the slicked back hair and her big, dark eyes, full of wary intelligence, she almost looked like an artist’s rendering of a kestrel in their human guise.

Now she was standing before him, obediently waiting, her lashes lowered, but he knew she was still watching him.

Leon flicked open the top of the box, turning it so she could see what was inside. There wasn’t much to see as it just looked like a mix of leather straps and metal rings and hardware.

He fished around for a moment before taking out the first strap. He tapped his knee. “Foot here.”

Cessie put her foot on his knee, balancing elegantly. He leaned in to kiss the inside of her thigh. Her skin smelled like night jasmine and had a slightly slick feeling that told him she’d applied oil or lotion.

He indulged himself by taking a moment to stare at her pretty sex, the slit so tempting.

Leon held up the first leather jess. It was a simple cuff, more like a leather anklet with fringe cut into the top and bottom.

Small brass jingle-style bells were sewn into the solid center of the outer face, along with a small D-ring.

For any sort of real restraint he’d have to add sturdier BDSM cuffs, but the purpose of these was subtler than bondage.

He buckled the jess in place, then eased her foot to the floor. The bells tinkled softly.

He tapped his other knee and repeated the process. With her foot still on his knee he grabbed her ass, steadying her as he leaned in to chastely kiss her mound.

Cessie’s hips bucked and she moaned.

He eased her foot down. “Wrists.”

The jesses for her wrists were a little different.

The leather was much softer, almost a suede texture, with a double-ring closure.

He carefully threaded the long tail through and back over the double rings, making sure it wasn’t too tight on her wrist. There were three small grommeted holes on the dangling bit of leather.

He looped tiny O-rings through the holes, then in turn clipped two bells to each O-ring.

“The bells are larger than the rings of the belt buckle.” He demonstrated by pulling the leather until the top bell hit the rings and stopped, unable to get through.

“These are called hawk’s bells—they’re almost like jingle bells, but they have only one slit opening rather than a cross slit.

These particular ones are made of nickel brass, and custom-made by a falconry supply company in the UK. ”

“Custom-made?”

“These bells are too big for a bird, but just right for you.”

He tightened the jess back to the original position then tapped the dangling lead so the bells chimed. The tone was low and melodious compared to the higher-pitched tinkling of the bells on her ankles.

“Walk for me.”

Cessie turned and walked around the couch. Her first few steps were normal, and the sound of the bells filled the room. She stopped, then tried a few slow, deliberate steps. The bells chimed less but weren’t silent.

“What if this gets annoying?” she asked.

“For me? I don’t think it will, but I can remove the wrist bells so you’re still wearing the jess but no bells. If you find them annoying…” He gripped her hips as she stopped in front of him. “I want you to tell me if they start to annoy you, okay?”

She nodded.

He reached up and touched her cheek until she looked at him instead of submissively at her feet. “I want to know what you’re thinking and feeling. Little things and big things.”

Her eyes closed for a moment, and she tipped her face against his hand before nodding.

“I will.”

“Good girl.” She still had her eyes closed, so he reached into the box and pulled out the hood.

When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the hood he held up for her inspection.

The hood was made of nylon and leather. She stared at it for a moment before her gaze jumped to him. She was anxious, maybe even a little scared, but there was heat in her gaze too. A softness in her expression that he only saw when she was feeling submissive.

“Kneel,” he commanded softly.

She knelt between his feet. Rather than putting her hands in her lap, she gripped his knees, her fingertips indenting the fabric of his pants.

Leon ran a hand over her still slightly damp hair, which had stayed in the brush-back style. Perfect for the hood.

“This is your hood. Any time you’re not in the cage you’re wearing it.”

He put his fist inside so she could get a better sense of what it looked like and how it would fit.

“Most of it is made of thin nylon designed not to trap heat, but as you can see, parts of it are leather.” He’d had to have the hood custom-made from scratch, not only because he had very specific requirements but because he wanted it made of dark-brown leather and oak-toned nylon.

The hood consisted of a nylon open-face hood that covered her from the top of her head to her neck except for the oval cut out for her face.

Attached to it was a large, padded blindfold made of leather that covered her eyes.

The inside of the blindfold had cushioning to ensure it didn’t press against her eyes, like an expensive sleep mask.

Leather straps led from the sides of the blindfold around the back of her head.

Four narrower straps arched from the top of the mask over her head.

Once on, her mouth, nose, and most of her cheeks would be exposed, but the top and back of her head, ears, and neck would be covered in nylon.

“The blindfold piece is padded,” he pointed out. “And see here in the back? There’s a slit right at the base of your skull to pull your hair through so it’s not pressed against your neck.”

She relaxed a little at that. “I hate having my hair tight against my neck.”

“I know, baby. I’ve seen how you yank your hair out every time you put on a turtleneck.”

She smiled softly, then looked back at the mask. “It looks a bit like a superhero mask.”

“It does a little, except no eye holes.”

“So I can’t see.” She grimaced.

“That’s right.” He wouldn’t add platitudes or try and pretend this wouldn’t be hard for her.

He stroked her hair one more time before saying, “Close your eyes.”

Cessie held his gaze for a long moment before lowering her lids.

Leon gathered the bottom half of the hood in his hands, stretching out the nylon, and then pulled it over her head in one smooth motion. He settled the collar around her neck, then reached back through the slit and pulled her hair free so it wasn’t trapped against her skin.

With that done, he adjusted the blindfold piece so it sat perfectly over her eyes.

The blindfold and straps were sewn into the base hood, but the side straps also met in a buckle at the back, with the decorative top straps connecting to those side pieces. He buckled the strap, pulling the blindfold tight.

Cessie blew out a slow, deliberate breath, her fingers pressing harder into his knees.

Leon gently gripped her wrist—not a restraint but a connection—as he sat back and looked at her.

She looked soft and vulnerable, and that dual urge to abuse and protect her rose in him. The ability to hold that duality is what allowed him to be a Dom.

The front to back straps mimicked the look of the real falconry hoods he’d studied.

The reality of her wearing it was better than what he could have hoped for, because not only was she naked except for the jesses and hood, she was willing—willing to travel all this way to be with him.

Willing to experiment with this odd type of play. To trust him enough to try it.

“Stand up.”

He gently gripped her upper arm as she pushed to her feet, using her hands on his knees for support. The bells chimed as she moved.

Once she was standing, he gripped her wrist, keeping them connected with physical touch.

Her head twisted side to side, searching blindly. He probably shouldn’t have found that hot, but fuck it, he did.

He nudged her back a step and rose to his feet.

The moment he was standing, she pressed herself against him. He gave her the comfort and safety she was seeking with murmured words of praise and long strokes of his hand down her back.

When she stopped trembling, he took her hands in his “It’s time for dinner.”

“Open.”

Cessie opened her mouth and he placed a morsel of food against her lower lip. She gently took it from his hand with her teeth.