To her surprise, he drew her to her feet so that their bodies almost touched, separated only by air. “I think so.” She caught his raised eyebrow and lifted her chin while lowering her gaze to his chest. His muscular, lickable chest. “Yes, Master.”
“Do you have any questions for me, little flame? Think hard, because once we begin, I may choose to gag you and you won’t be able to do anything but moan.”
She looked up at him in shock and saw the amusement in his warm, blue eyes. “How will I know what you want me to do? As amazing as you are, you must be used to experienced subs.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she stiffened in embarrassment. Goodness, why didn’t she just drool on him while she was at it. And way to go reminding him just how unskilled she was.
He stroked his hand along her arm, curling his fingers into hers. That normal, affectionate gesture helped her to center herself, to think beyond her panic a bit. “While it’s true that I have been with many well-trained submissives, I find your honest, innocent responses to be very arousing. Anyone can be trained to do and say the right things, but that doesn’t make them a good submissive. That comes from in here”—his fingertips traced over her chest, dipping between the swell of her breasts—“in your heart and your soul.” He tilted his head to the side, and a hint of powerful emotion raced through his gaze. “You are an amazing woman, Tanwen, and I am honored by your trust in me. Never doubt that for a moment.”
His praise zinged through her body and heated her desire for him. “Thank you, Master.”
“You won’t have to guess what pleases me. I will tell you what I want you to do.” He gently extracted his hand from hers and grabbed both of her wrists, his hands becoming restraints. Her body heated further until she swore she could smell her own arousal in the air. “Now, are you ready to give the control to me? To trust me to take you where you need to go, to follow my directions implicitly?”
She was tempted to just blurt yes, but he’d been very open with her, and he deserved the same kind of honesty in return. A little ball of happiness joined the desire churning through her body as she realized how freeing it was to be able to be honest with him, to not have to worry about…well, everything. She didn’t have to worry, because she wasn’t in control. The only thing she had to do was enjoy and please. Something in her mind, in her heart relaxed, and the joy grew until she couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Yes, Master.” On impulse she leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
That warm emotion surged in his gaze again, and he stroked her cheek. “You may find some of the things I ask you hard to do, but remember, I will never ask anything of you that I think would harm you. I will punish you if you break my rules, but I won’t abuse you. You are mine to protect and cherish.” His grin turned wicked, and he cupped her breasts, squeezing hard. “And mine to fuck and punish. What is your safe word?”
“Pineapple.” Her pussy contracted, and she was suddenly ravenous for him. She leaned toward him, eager for a kiss, but he jerked her hands behind her back, effectively shackling them together with his grip on her wrists. He closed the space between their lips slowly before kissing her until her toes curled. When he pulled back, his eyes had darkened, and his lips firmed as he stared at her. There was a subtle shift in his overall body language, and she recognized that he was assuming his role as her master. She looked away, unable to hold his gaze as authority and control seemed to roll off him in almost visible waves that made her weak in the knees with desire.
“Don’t speak unless I ask you a direct question, and no petting any cute bunny boys or kitty girls without my permission. You will follow my every direction with the grace I know you’re capable of. Understood?”
“Yes, Master.”
He stepped back and slowly examined her from head to toe, the heat in his gaze growing until her skin fairly tingled as if he were touching her. He reached toward her breasts, and she tensed in anticipation of his touch on her nipples, but he merely grabbed the leash dangling between them. Some of her disappointment must have shown, because the lines around his mouth deepened as a grin twitched on his lips.
He tugged on the leash and pulled her toward him. Bryan ran his knuckles over her breasts, circling the hard points until she trembled. Her traitorous tail wrapped around him again, and he made a pleased sound deep in his throat before pinching her nipple hard enough to send a fiery path of pleasure and pain through her body. His gaze thawed a bit, and her shoulders lost their stiffness. “There is something I’m going to try with you.”
He didn’t say anything more, didn’t ask her opinion or if she wanted to try it. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that as they left the area containing the holding cages and made their way into the zoo itself. Laughter rang through the air as a curvy brunette who looked like a mixture between a human and a chocolate lab raced past them. She had a big red bow tied around her neck like she’d been someone’s present. Bryan placed his arm around Tanwen and pulled her to him while taking a step back. A few seconds later, a big man barreled toward them with the words DOGCATCHER printed on his white uniform.
The man paused next to them, and he grinned. “Hey, Bryan! Have you seen a cute little stray puppy around here anywhere?”
Laughing, Bryan pointed in the direction the woman had run, and the dogcatcher took off in hot pursuit, letting out a triumphant roar as he spied the woman trying to hide behind a tree. Tanwen couldn’t help but giggle at the picture they made as the dogcatcher snagged the runaway puppy and threw her over his shoulder while she screeched with laughter. He gave her a few loud whacks on her bottom, and she yelped as he carried her out of sight behind the curve of a building.
A little shiver of pleasure went through Tanwen as she imagined what it would be like to run from Bryan, to have him hunt and capture her. She used to run track in high school and had taken up jogging after her divorce. While she was sure Bryan would eventually catch her, she was pretty sure she would give him a good chase. She could only imagine all the wicked things he would do to her once caught.
Bryan slowly stroked her shoulders, trailing his fingers over her fur and giving her a most pleasurable chill. “Do you like the idea of a game of capture and chase, Tanwen?”
She nuzzled her cheek against his chest. “It does seem exciting, Master.” He made a noncommittal sound, and she worried she had said something wrong. “But I only want to do what you want. I want to make you happy.”
He shook his head and held her close against him, his hands running down her back in a soothing motion. “Your honesty makes me happy, little flame. When I ask you a question, I want you to tell me the truth, not what you think I want to hear.” He released her and stepped back, his face closing down into what she had already started to recognize as his “master” expression. She found it rather hot and eagerly followed after him as they made their way down a long pathway lined with different animal exhibits.
They passed a display where the half man/half seal had been joined now by his mistress, who rode his back as he raced through the water. The tank itself was elevated on the side facing the crowd with clear glass walls, giving the viewer a glimpse into the water. She slowed down to watch them dart past, and Bryan jerked on her collar in a manner that reminded her of how she’d jerk her dog’s collar when he wanted to stop and sniff at something instead of walk like she wanted to do.
“I just want to look,” she muttered, but because of the animalistic tone of her voice, it came out more like a growl.
Before she could blink, Bryan had his hand fisted in her hair and had arched her head back to an uncomfortable angle. His lips moved over the cord of her neck as he said, “Did you just speak without permission?”