CHAPTER 8
They’d both needed this and had for a while. Oh, they did plenty of scenes in their little apartment. Foreplay, punishment, and sometimes just a good old catharsis to break through the emotions, but with everything that had been going on, there simply hadn’t been the time or energy for a long, drawn-out scene like this.
And considering the fact that they lived on a Ranch devoted to the BDSM lifestyle, they probably didn’t use the amenities often enough. Of course, when it came to the Dungeon, they had to take her headspace into account too. No Littles were allowed in the Dungeon and Heaven used up a lot of her adult headspace at work.
Many evenings they would come home, and she would escape the stress by slipping into Little space. That had been even more common since all the changes had begun, which he totally understood. Accommodating her needs was the least he could do as her Daddy, and as her partner, but it did mean that it had been a long stretch since they’d been able to manage a scene like this.
Flogging needed a lot of space. His favorite implements were two feet or longer and there just wasn’t room in their apartment to use them effectively. The Dungeon, however, had plenty of space to swing. And although the blindfold and cuffs had come from the well-stocked armoire, the floggers he’d brought with him.
He loved to flog her. She was so expressive, and her skin colored so nicely under the lash. By the time his arms were starting to tire, her entire backside from shoulders to calves was red. In a few places there were obvious lines, but most of it had blended together into a solid strawberry color.
It wouldn’t last long. They weren’t welts or bruises, but just temporary redness from the impact of the leather tails. He’d brought his three favorites. Each was a different length and a different kind of leather. Together they allowed for a slow building of intensity.
He took the time to use each one. There was no need to rush.
The light deer hide barely stung no matter how hard he swung it. The suede strands warmed her skin and brought a slight flush to the surface. That was to relax her before he switched to a medium flogger, one with narrower leather and a swivel handle that allowed him to get fancy with cross strokes.
That one was a lot of fun, and it made for an impressive show, even though the flogger did most of the work. It had a twin and sometimes he liked to dual-wield them, but that would have taken a little too much energy after the long day. The loud slaps added some sting to the mix as the strands snapped against her skin.
He finished with the custom-made moose hide, which was heavy and had many wide falls. It was pure thud, and the impact jarred her each time he brought it down. She arched her back, rolling her shoulders as she silently begged for more.
Although maybe “silent” wasn’t the best way to describe it. She wasn’t using words; he wasn’t even sure she was capable of speaking, but she made plenty of noise. The moans, the little gasps, and sharp inhalations… they drove him crazy.
The sounds of pleasure and need seemed to ripple across his skin like a physical sensation. His body couldn’t help reacting to each one. His cock was painfully hard and seemed to pull in her direction. Ignoring it was almost impossible, but he refused to hurry the scene. Delaying would make claiming her body even sweeter when they finally got home.
His work was often physically demanding. He had strong shoulders and arms, but eventually his muscles started to ache, and he began to wind the scene down. The smooth swings slowed until they tapered off entirely. He set his implements back in the bag and pressed up against her from behind, holding her as he whispered praise in her ear.
“You’re such a good girl. You took that so well, mi corazón .” He kissed the side of her neck gently. “My own sweet girl. You have no idea how beautiful you look covered in my marks, and you deserved every single one, because you were a star today.”
She made a happy sound and turned her head, nuzzling at him. She was still nonverbal, but as expressive as always.
“You have no idea what you do to me, Heaven Leigh. Those sounds you make…” He groaned, and pressed his hips against her, so she could feel the hardness of his erection tenting the front of his trousers.
He didn’t wait for her to answer. She’d find her words when she was ready, but in the meantime, he kept talking to her, calling her back to the world with the sound of his voice. “Let’s get you uncuffed,” he said, and did so.
The blindfold came off next, and that seemed to help bring her back to earth, but she was wobbly and limp. He held on to her, making sure she didn’t lose her balance. “You okay, chiquita ?”
Her eyes were glazed over and there was a dopey half-smile curving her lips. “Mhm. Wonnnnderful.” Her voice was rough and low, but full of throaty pleasure.
Angel laughed. “I can see that. Let’s get you sitting down.” He didn’t let go as he escorted her to the nearest loveseat, but once she was sitting safely, he accepted a bottle of water and a blanket from a service submissive.
He realized Heaven was humming a song, with her eyes closed and head lolling loosely on her neck. She really had gone deep this time. It might have been the most relaxed he’d seen her, at least since they started construction on their shop. He allowed himself a moment just to enjoy watching her.
“Are you cold, Heaven?” he asked as he took a seat next to her.
“Uh-uh… wait, maybe?” She didn’t open her eyes.
He laughed. Since she wasn’t sure, he draped the soft blanket over her and then sat down and pulled her into his lap. “How about a sip of water.” He twisted the cap off and pressed it against her lips.
She took a small sip obediently, and it seemed to awaken a thirst in her, because a second later she was grabbing for the water and gulping it down.
“Hold on, Heaven. Take your time or you’ll make yourself sick.” He quickly pulled the bottle away from her lips and wouldn’t let her have any more for a full minute.
She wrinkled her nose. “Mean,” she said, but there was no heat to it. When he let her have more, she drank a reasonable amount. The ferocious thirst seemed to have passed as she started to come back to the world, and she finished the water with slow sips.
When it was gone, he set the empty bottle aside. “Better?”
Heaven nodded. “Much.” She rolled her head and then stretched. “I feel like jelly. All the tension is gone.”
“You’ve had a lot to be tense about.” And then he laughed, adding, “And so have I. We both needed this.”
“Mhm.” Her glance panned the play space, and she frowned. “Where did everyone go?”
“Well, our scene went on for quite a while, chiquita . They played, they relaxed and watched us for a bit, and then they left.”
“Oh.” She snuggled her head against his neck and sighed. “It didn’t feel that long. I could have kept going forever.”
He snorted and patted her back. “I’m pretty sure your legs were about to give out, chiquita . You were starting to get wobbly. You just didn’t realize it because you were high on endorphins.”
There was a low grumbling sound, before she said, “Maybe.” She shifted, rolling her shoulders a few times to loosen her muscles. “I think I’m ready to go home now, Daddy.”
“Sure you’re up for the walk?”
“No, but I think it’s too far for you to carry me.” She slid out of his lap, and carefully got to her feet. She winced, but it turned into a satisfied smile as she stretched her arms over her head and twisted at the hips. “Mmm. It feels so nice.”
Angel had settled a hand on her hip, just in case she was still unsteady, but once he was sure she’d gotten her balance back, he stood as well. “It should. I did a very thorough job.”
“You’re always such a perfectionist.”
“I am… and you love it.” He gave her messy ponytail a tug. It had started out neat and orderly, but now drooped in the back, with loose strands of golden hair escaping every which way. She looked like she’d been thoroughly… fucked and judging by the sounds she’d made throughout the flogging, maybe it had come close enough.
“Let’s give your legs a test drive. We’ll see how you do with getting dressed.”
She wasn’t quite as coordinated as usual, but she managed to get her clothes on with a little help. And then leaned against the cross and watched, while he did a quick scan of their area. The cross had already been cleaned and readied for the next players. The items he’d used and had dropped in the basket had also already been removed. One could never question the efficiency of the staff working in the Dungeon.
His bag went over one shoulder, and his free arm wrapped around her waist. It was a long walk, and tiredness dragged their steps at first, but once they were outside, the cool evening air perked them both up considerably.
Heaven shivered and leaned into him. “Promise we’ll still use the Dungeon after our house is built and we’re living on the Ridge? I’d hate to give it up.” There was just a touch of melancholy to her tone.
He squeezed her. “Of course. We’ll still be coming over here for work, you know. And you’ll come over for classes too. We’re not moving to another country, chiquita .”
“I guess. It’s just… changes.” She sighed.
He echoed it. “Change is hard. I’ll be glad once everything settles down. That might not happen for a long time, but I’m sure things will start getting easier once we open the shop. And think how much fun it’s going to be to have your own big workspace where you can bake every day.”
She looked up, a quick grin curved her mouth as her mood shifted. “That’s right. I can’t wait! I have so many ideas that I’ve been dying to try.”
He was right there on the same page. In this, as with many things, they were in synch. Both had been creatively frustrated for far too long. And they were both anxious to flex those artistic muscles and see what they could do with the best equipment and lots of space.
Heaven began to chatter about the project that was on the top of her list. “I’ve decided to keep the vegetable cakes to a sample selection of six different ones, instead of doing custom orders. I know I’m not going to have time otherwise.”
He still had some reservations about the “prank” line she was planning. As a Daddy, he was supposed to keep her from causing too much mayhem, after all. But her excitement about it was adorable, and he just couldn’t say no to her on this subject. Besides, the fake vegetables were harmless.
Heaven hadn’t been a prankster when she’d first arrived. She’d been dead set against the idea of getting in trouble on purpose, and honestly didn’t see the point of playing tricks. Until she’d felt her friends had been treated unfairly and decided to get revenge.
She’d managed to pull off a double prank, all on her own, without help. There had been some trouble, and it had led to all the Littles, not just the guilty ones, being denied dessert. Heaven was outraged that the innocent were being punished too.
She’d crept into the kitchen late at night to make piles of Brussels sprouts that were actually cakes. They were so real looking that no one noticed anything was wrong. The Littles had been confused at first, then overjoyed to be served the fake sprouts at dinner and had cleared their plates in record time.
That probably would have been enough to make her a legend, and to get her butt spanked, but she’d gone a step further. At the same meal, the Dominants had been served cake pops for dessert, and on the first bite had discovered raw vegetables hidden under the sweet coating.
She’d been properly punished for it, but ever since then the other Littles were constantly begging her to make more “veggies”. Now, with their own place, Heaven had decided a line of prank foods would be well received. Given the nature of the Ranch and the large number of Littles and bratty subs, she was probably right.
So he’d given her the go-ahead, knowing full well he might regret it later. “Which vegetables are you going to do?”
“Well, sprouts, of course. Broccoli, cauliflower, and a cute little pile of peas. I’m thinking baby carrots since they’ll be simple, and maybe cherry tomatoes. It’s a lot of green, but most vegetables are.”
“Hmm, yeah you’re not really going to be able to avoid green if you’re doing vegetables. Have you decided what else you’re doing for the prank foods?”
She snuck a look at him. “Maybe.” She’d been a bit guarded about some of her plans, and he had a feeling he knew why.
He let the silence build as they walked down the well-lit path toward the employee apartments, waiting for her to add more. She didn’t, which was worrisome. “Heaven… you haven’t forgotten our conversation, have you?”
“The one we’ve had about a dozen times, where you warn me that if the prank foods cause a problem, it’s probably going to bite me in the butt?” Her voice was deliberately neutral and she didn’t look his way.
“That would be the one.”
“I remember every word, Daddy.”
He was not reassured. “Remembered and have kept it in mind while planning?”
“Absolutely!” she assured him.
“Good, then you won’t mind telling me what the other plans are.” He put a little of the stern Daddy voice behind the words and let his hand slip down to pinch her bottom.
She yelped and pulled away. “Don’t you want to be surprised?”
He pulled her right back against him. “I absolutely do not, thank you.” He snorted. “Oddly enough, I’m not interested in surprise pranks.”
She came to a stop and turned to him, bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “Daddy, don’t you trust me?”
“I trust you with my life, mi corazón .” He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I don’t, however, trust you when it comes to the absolute chaos your artistic skills can cause when it comes to pranks.”
Her mouth opened to protest, but he kept speaking. “But I’m too tired to pull the nefarious plots out of you tonight. I have other plans for you.”
She straightened, tilting her head. “Other plans?”
“Mhm.” He leaned in, lips brushing against her ear as he whispered a long list of dirty, depraved things he was going to do to her body as soon as he got her inside.
She pulled back, eyes wide, and then turned and started walking toward the apartment building quickly.
Angel frowned, wondering if he’d accidentally stumbled over one of her triggers. Dirty talk wasn’t a new thing for them and usually she loved it. “Heaven? What’s wrong?”
She didn’t slow as she looked back over her shoulder and called. “Aren’t you coming? You can’t do dirty, depraved things to me on the sidewalk, Daddy. The neighbors will talk.” She sounded so prim and proper that for a second he didn’t get it.
When he did, a laugh burst from him, and he headed after her at a trot.