Redemption - Jennifer Bene

One

Lianna

The chain rattled as David pulled it taut, stretching her arms before he locked the links together. It wasn’t really uncomfortable, not yet, but the leather cuffs were already digging into her ankles, and now her wrists were feeling the strain too. In a matter of minutes, she’d pull on them no matter what logic said, and then they’d start to hurt despite the soft lining.

“How many times do I have to remind you to do what I tell you?” David asked, tracing a finger lightly up her side, gentle until he grabbed her nipple between thumb and forefinger and pinched hard. She bucked, angling her head back as she whined and bit down on her lip. “Answer me, Lianna.”

“I don’t know,” she whimpered, the pain amplifying as he twisted the trapped bud, sending scattered shocks through her nerve endings. “Fuck, please, David…”

He released her nipple to grab hold of her face, hand cupped under her jaw so his fingers could dig into her cheeks. Tawny brown eyes stared down at her as he tilted his head. “Is it complicated to obey me? You’re a smart girl, so… I don’t think it should be this hard.”

“I’m not a puppet,” she ground out, glaring at him.

“Oh, but you are mine. Pretty strings or not.” He smirked, a lopsided smile that made him too damn tempting. “Of course, I much prefer you in chains. Don’t I, angel?”

Pushing her face to the side, he let go and plucked at the chain holding one of her wrists. She didn’t say anything in response, just balled her hands into fists as she turned to look at him again. David was still looming over her, the smirk lingering he was enjoying this — which he definitely was.

“I’ll ask again, since you seem to be having trouble listening today.” David stood, moving to the dresser to grab the crop, his perfectly carved chest and abs taunting her as he slapped the crop against his palm. “How many times do I need to remind you to obey?”

“This isn’t going to get you what you want, David. It never works and—” She yelped as the crop landed sharply on her thigh, a stunning streak of pain that made her clench her teeth to bite back the cry.

“Oh, I think it works quite well.” He chuckled low, trailing the crop over the fresh welt on her thigh, up over her hip, her stomach, and then he rested the little tip on her breast. “Want to try and answer me again?”

“Fuck off,” she growled, trying to prepare for the pain, but as the leather popped against her nipple she still whined through her teeth, jerking against the cuffs, making the chains rattle. A second snap landed on her other breast, and she arched off the bed. “David, please—”

“God… you know how much I love the way you look in chains.” The crop slid down, between her thighs, and he shifted his hold to stroke the leather through her folds. “And the fucking sounds you make…”

She stiffened, thighs straining to pull together, to protect herself, but it was impossible with how wide the chains held her apart. At his mercy, vulnerable again.

“And look at that”—a quiet, dark laugh interrupted him as he stared between her thighs—“you’re already wet.”

“That’s not me,” she snapped, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the sight of the leather moving back and forth between her legs. The texture of it sliding through the damning wetness, rubbing against her clit with each shift of his hand as he played her all too well.

“Oh, I know that. This is all me, angel.” David grinned and removed the crop, landing it hard across both thighs. She cried out, unable to bite it back with the way her body jolted from the teasing pleasure into the bright strike of pain. “Is that it? Do you do this shit just to push me? Just so you can get punished, make me hurt you? Because I can see you like it, Lianna. You’ve already soaked my crop.”

There was no way to answer that. No good way to answer that, so she just pressed her lips together, felt that delirious hum buzzing through her veins as the pain faded into a dull ache and left behind a dizzying rush.

This was fucked up.

They were fucked up.

And the fact that she was chained down again, spread wide for him to torment, was just further evidence of it.

David didn’t bother pushing her to answer, he just landed another