Lick of Darkness (excerpt)

Title : Lick of Darkness

Release date : Available now (purchase link under "Books" heading)

EXCERPT ...

When I pulled up at The Association, there were already four cars in the parking lot. I knew the boys would be here.

Wonder if they’ve finished putting those last items out?

Parking my car, I turned the key, and silenced the engine, before I pulled on the latch to open my door. As I got out, two other cars pulled in, parking in the two bays on the right side of my vehicle.

“Good evening, Mistress Hellion,” Amber Cousins greeted me, her eyes dropping down as she walked around the front of her car, sliding her keys into her little bag.

“Good evening, Amber,” I responded politely.

I didn’t particularly get along with Amber, but she was William’s plaything, so I tolerated her. I don’t think he’s at all serious about her, or even considered taking their relationship any further than what occurred within The Association.

“Evening, Mistress Hellion,” Peyton Lovelace greeted me excitedly.

Peyton was Jasper’s submissive. In my opinion, Jasper and Peyton are well suited, even though he was a terrible flirt – as his dealings with the real estate agent, Cassidy, proved.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they took their relationship out into the real world. That hasn’t happened with any of the other members paired up in The Association, but if I was a betting woman, I’d bet money on the two of them becoming a firm item. Peyton was always so bouncy, and happy; you couldn’t help but smile when she was anywhere around you.

“Evening, Peyton,” I smiled in return. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the snarky look Amber shot her. Amber rarely received a smile from me. If ever. “I see Jasper’s car, so he’s already inside,” I added, beginning to walk toward the double-door entrance.

“I can’t wait to see the inside,” Peyton squealed quietly, clapping her hands together in front of her, and I started to laugh.

“It’s no wonder Jasper likes you,” I grinned with a shake of my head as we reached the entrance. “You’re always so damned full of energy! Energizer Bunny, that’s what I’m going to call you from now on,” I said affectionately.

Peyton giggled in response as I inserted the key, and turned it. I caught the unamused look on Amber’s face as I heard the snip of the lock disengaging.

I’m going to nick-name her, Miss Grumpy.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed one side of the double doors open, and walked into the front vestibule, with Amber, and Peyton, right behind me. Relocking the doors behind us, I waved my arm out in front of me. “Go through,” I suggested. “If anyone arrives, they can use the intercom at the front door, and I’ll let them in.”

Peyton took off like a bull out of a gate, practically dancing on the tips of her toes, with Amber trailing grumpily along behind her. I almost ploughed into Amber as both girls came to an immediate stop, with Peyton squealing in a high-pitched voice that made me wince.

“Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, her mouth dropping open in awe as her head swiveled back and forth, and her eyes tried to take in every inch at once. “This is so cool!”

She was almost jumping up and down on the spot, and I laughed at her antics.

“Go on,” I encouraged with another sweep of my arm, and a huge grin of pride. “Go and check it all out.”

Peyton didn’t need any further encouragement, and skip-walked down the middle of the warehouse, her head swiveling from left to right to take a look at each dungeon as she passed. Amber walked at a more leisurely pace, but still looked just as awed as Peyton. Then I heard another squeal.

“Master!”

I couldn’t help laughing, imagining Jasper’s face as Peyton’s excitement grew when she finally found him.

Yep – those two are definitely going to end up together.

“Peyton!”

I heard the stern growl of disapproval from Jasper who was obviously berating her for her current behavior just as the intercom sounded. I made my way back out to the entrance to let a few more members in.

When I unlocked, and opened the door, I found Kitty Salisbury, and her Dom, Quinn Townsend, who obviously arrived at the same time. Shaquita Kendrick, who was paired with Toliver, and Joline Bernstein, who was Dayne’s current sub, both followed.

“Come on in,” I smiled in welcome.

“Rozalynne,” Quinn acknowledged with a firm nod on his way through, with a chorus of “Good evening, Mistress Hellion” from all the girls as they filed passed me.

With every exclamation, and gasp of surprise I heard, my grin widened, and my pride in our accomplishments grew.

Once all twenty members had arrived, Carter Ashmore called everyone to assemble in front of the dungeon he was claiming for the night, Silver Fox, accompanied by his submissive, Melody Hibbert.

He praised the five of us for what we had achieved, and thanked us for how we presented the new home of The Association. Then he segued into beginning his spiel about some rope techniques he’d learned. Half way through the presentation, he wanted a volunteer.

“Roz - I mean, Mistress Hellion, will you kindly step forward so I may demonstrate?”

I lifted my brow, and crossed my arms over my chest. “Why can’t you use Melody?”

“Because I have been using Melody to perfect the bondage, and her wrists need to recover from being used so much over the past week.”

“Why don’t you use one of the other girls?” I asked stubbornly, planting my feet.

With a playful grin, he answered. “Because I think the girls would love to see you bound for a change.”

I turned to look at the group, and saw a few of the girls trying to suppress their grins. Then I looked pointedly at Maxwell.

If he’s even got the beginning of a smile trying to stretch his lips, I’m going to make him sorrier than he can ever imagine.

“Fine,” I bit out, stomping over to where Carter was standing with amusement contorting his features, my Jimmy Choo red stilettos clunking down on the polished concrete floor. “I’ll amuse them all for a few minutes.” I looked around the group gathered in front of me. “But one smart remark, and I don’t care who’s submissive is whose, I’ll be the one dolling out the punishment.”

The few who were struggling to suppress their grins, suddenly found the incentive to halt them from stretching across their lips.

Being used as his volunteer, gave me a bird’s eye view of the intricate knotting. Despite how well he described what he was doing, being able to see his actions so closely emphasized his words.

Within half an hour, the paired members claimed their own dungeon space.

I led Max over to the Dark Master dungeon. Hmmm. Maybe I should have changed this name to Dark Mistress. Leading Max in, I walked him over to the upholstered, wall-mounted cross, with him facing the brick wall behind it.

I quickly secured his ankles in the dark brown, leather buckled cuffs. I decided to use the hemp rope to bind his wrists together in the fashion Carter had just demonstrated, and used the remote to lower the chain down that was installed over the cross.

When I did, I noticed my wrists had faint red abrasions around them from the hemp Carter used on me. I knew Max was going to be sporting the same sort of marks.

“Ensure you wear long sleeved shirts for the next few days, Max. You will have abrasions around your wrists that nobody needs to know about,” I ordered, hitching his bound wrists over the steel hook.

“Yes, Mistress,” he replied.

Once he was secured, I pressed the remote to retract the chain, and stopped it once his arms were stretched taut above his head.

Everything in this room matched the dark shade of brown the dungeon space is named after. The color resembled melted dark chocolate, and looked just as smooth and shiny.

I selected one of the whips hanging on the stainless-steel hooks fastened to the partitioned wall. As the space isn’t big enough to swing the bull whip, I plucked the snake whip off, instead.

Measuring my paces, I stopped, and threw a practice throw. The thong whooshed passed my ear, and the popper snapped in the air near Max’s muscular shoulder. The flinching of his muscles sparked my adrenaline, and I was eager to begin.

Adjusting my stance, I readied myself.

I soon fell into an entrancing rhythm. Keeping count became muddled. I lost myself in the rhythmic spell of the whooshing thong, the thudding crack of the popper against flesh, the deepness of masculine groans reaching my ears becoming the sweetest music tantalizing my senses.

I tried to throw my arm, but it was held in some sort of steely grip.

“ROZALYNNE!” Jamieson Lemmington yelled sternly beside my left ear, and I felt more grip coming from my other side.

“STOP!” William growled loudly in my other ear, and I blinked at him in confusion. “LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE DONE,” he demanded harshly, and Jamieson snatched the snake whip out of my hand.

I looked over at the cross, and my eyes focused on the limp form of Max, dangling awkwardly by his bound arms hooked on the chain above his head. I instantly felt sick to my stomach. Blood slowly drained out of my face, while I stared at the many trails of blood making their way down Max’s back from the numerous opened wounds I’d sliced in diagonal lines.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered in shock.

“Tend to him,” Jamieson ordered.

William pushed me on my shoulder, making me take that first step toward the supplies in the set of drawers up against the back wall.

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t for the life of me recall what in the fuck had just happened.

Where in the fuck is my control?

Where in the fuck is my head?

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