Black Light: Suspicion Read online

  “Is that why you’re here? You working a case?” Sydney asked, sliding toward Sophie. “I’ll get him away in just a minute,” she whispered so the guys didn’t hear.

  “No. Well, we do have a case, but that’s not why we’re here.” Sophie’s face heated, and it had nothing to do with the crowded dungeon.

  “Ah.” Tate reached between Scott and Sophie to grab a pretzel. “Not going to say I’m surprised, but, well, maybe a little.”

  “Maybe we should go.” Sophie turned to Scott. No way she was playing now, not with witnesses from her previous life hanging around. She didn’t need the critique or the judgment. She’d gotten her fill of that before leaving District One.

  Scott shot her a worried look.

  “No, absolutely not.” Tate put a hand out. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Sophie. I know better. Straightlaced Type A women can be just as into the lifestyle as anyone else.”

  “How do you know he’s not the submissive?” Sophie asked, jerking a thumb at Scott.

  Tate’s lips quirked. “I suppose that could be, but I’ve seen him here before. Never seen him on the bottom of the dynamic.”

  “Maybe we should go find the cross you promised we could play on tonight.” Sydney gave Tate a playful shove.

  “It was nice meeting you two. Maybe we can catch you guys for drinks sometime.” Scott offered his hand again to Tate.

  “That sounds good. You didn’t change your cell, did you, Sophie?” Tate asked. She hadn’t. But maybe it would have been better if she had.

  “No.” She shuffled her feet.

  “Great. Then we’ll plan something.”

  “It really was nice seeing you again, Sophie.” Sydney wrapped her arms around her for a quick hug.

  “Thanks, same here.”

  Scott laced his fingers with hers as they watched Tate sink his fist into Sydney’s hair and lead her into the dungeon.

  “He can switch gears pretty quick,” Sophie said, swinging her hand—along with his.

  “So, you want to explain what all that was about?” Scott pulled her to a stop and tugged her until her chest pressed against his body.

  How long could she keep from clarifying the mystery Tate had just unveiled. Hopefully, Sydney would give him a run for his money tonight.

  “What’s that?” She sugared up her smile.

  “Why would he think you were off seeing the world? Somethings not right, something you haven’t told me. You said you switched districts because you moved and wanted to be closer to home.”

  “I did move.” It was only a few miles over, but it put her an entirely different area from her old district. Not that running into anyone would destroy her world, but she’d had enough questions and assumptions, she just wanted to move on with her life.

  “What is it?”

  “Can’t I have my own past without having to explain it and dissect it with you?” She tried to pull her hand free, but he wouldn’t allow it.

  “Fair enough. How about this. I was thinking we would just have a little impact play tonight, some spanking over the bench, maybe I’d introduce you to the flogger, but I think maybe another sort of play will get us both what we want. You’ll get a deeper sense of your submissive side, play with your limits a little, and I’ll get the answers to all my questions.”

  He pulled her chin up and pressed a kiss to her lips. He wasn’t so scary.

  “And how is that going to happen?” She eyed his mouth. He tasted like arousal, was that even a flavor? She wanted more of it.

  “Well, how tough do you think you are? Think you’ll crack right away, or do you think it’ll take some doing?” He gave her hand a tug and started walking her through the lounge and into the main floor of the club.

  “What do you mean?”

  They walked through the dungeon, past several stations. Moans of pain and groans of ecstasy came at her from all sides. A paddle raised here, a whip cracked over there, and between the sharp sounds and the arousing sights he brought her over to the washrooms.

  “What do you have in that bag? Like how sexy is it?” He took the bag from her arms and opened it.

  “Why ask if you’re going to paw through it anyway?” she asked. “It’s just a shirt with a skirt. I didn’t have time to get real fetish gear.”

  He closed the bag and threw it over his shoulder with to his own bag of tricks. “Okay, well, I think I prefer you nude anyway.”

  Without explanation, he pulled her back through the busy club. The sounds and sights were less of a distraction this time as he headed toward the semi-private rooms.

  “Are you sure? You seem a little indecisive,” she teased when he threw back the curtain and propelled her into the room. “First, you drag me to the changing area then here. I mean, if you want to take a moment to think this through—” He clapped his hand over her mouth, stilling the next smart remark dancing on her tongue.

  He pushed her head back, exposing her neck. She pressed her palms against his chest but didn’t push. The heat in the room kicked up a notch, or maybe it was having him so close, the confidence rolling off of him, his control seeping into her body.

  She didn’t make a sound.

  Until he ran his tongue up the length of her neck and bit into her jaw.

  She moaned. Closing her eyes, she let out an aroused groan when he did it again—this time licking her cheek and biting her earlobe.

  “Do you remember what yellow and red stand for?” he asked, kissing his way down her neck.

  Her mouth still hid behind his palm, so she nodded.

  “I’m trusting you to use them if you need them. If you don’t, I’ll punish you until you’ll wish you had. Now, do you think you can trust me to take us where we both want to go tonight?”

  He peeled his hand off her mouth. She licked at her dry lips.

  “Yes. I trust you.” She did. With her life. The job called for it, but this wasn’t work. This was deeper, more intimate.

  “Good.” He removed all touch and stepped back three paces. “Strip down.”

  “What are you going to do to me?” she asked, gripping the hem of her sweater. The curtains between the room and the main space were closed, if someone stood in the right spot they’d see everything going on. And it sure as hell wasn’t soundproof.

  “That depends on you, sweetheart. If you answer my questions honestly, then you’ll get a lot of rewards. But if you start being evasive and lying, well, things won’t be so pleasant.” He turned away from her and went to the table and hoisted his bag onto it.

  He pulled an array of implements from his bag. Rope, crop, paddles made of leather and wood were the ones she could see before he shifted his body and blocked her view completely.

  “You aren’t undressing. That’s not a good sign of your future cooperation,” he said without turning.

  “Are you going to use all those things?” she asked, still not peeling off her clothing.

  He walked away from the table, giving her full view of the arsenal. She’d seen a lot of gruesome shit in her line of work, and she’d handled every one of those scenes with an iron stomach and steel spine. But seeing all the paddles, and belts and things she couldn’t name made her tummy lurch and her knees wobble.

  “Get undressed, and examine everything on the table. If I come back and you have so much as a sock on, you’ll have your first punishment spanking before we begin.”

  The curtain swayed after he disappeared. She swallowed his name, wanting to call him back at first. Taking a deep breath, she realized the reprieve he’d given her. She could obey him and settle her nerves by familiarizing herself with the implements before he came back.

  She peeled her clothes off quickly and folded them in a pile on a chair in the corner and hightailed it over to the table where she picked up a few of the toys and fondled them.

  “Ah, the vibrator. Only if you’re good will you get that, Sophie. Now come here. Exploration time is over,” Scott said. A man with a similar build hel
ped him carry in a chair of some sort. She wrapped her arm over her breasts and moved to the end of the table, anything to put some distance between her and the stranger.

  Why take her to a private area if he was just going to traipse in with some strange man?

  “Thanks. I got it from here.” Scott maneuvered the contraption more into the center of the room.

  The chair seemed like an inquisitor’s tool. The legs and arms were moveable—straight out to the sides or vertical for the arms. The legs could bend and open wide or come together. Metal clasps would keep the wooden limbs of the chair positioned, and leather straps would keep the victim restrained. At least she wouldn’t be sitting on bare wood. The seat and headrest were cushioned.

  Scott worked the hinges and limbs until it resembled an actual chair, aside from the arms sticking straight out to the sides. He stood to his full height and wiped his hands on his jeans. As though he finally remembered there was a sub nearby, he looked up and found her still hiding behind the table.

  “I said come here, Sophie.” He gestured, no more urgent than beckoning a small child over for a piece of candy.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked with a tentative step. She hadn’t noticed the chill in the room before, but her nipples were budding and a shiver building in her spine.

  “I’m going to ask you a few questions, that’s all.” A nonchalant grin settled on his lips. She’d seen that one before.

  “Why don’t you just ask now?” She let loose a soft laugh at the end. Dammit, she would be giggling like an idiot soon if he kept teasing her with his darkened stare.

  “Okay. One chance.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Full truth. Why did you switch districts, and why would Tate and Sydney think you’d be traveling the world?”

  She could get it over with and move on. But she wasn’t ready to go through all the bullshit again.

  “I wanted a change of scene.” As a lie, it could have been better. Moving three districts over wasn’t exactly a big change.

  Scott laughed and dropped his hands to his sides. “Well, then. I suppose you’ll need to sit down so we can get started.” With two strides, he was at her side and gripping her elbow, pulling her to the chair.

  She plunked down on the seat and gave him a solid glare while he took each wrist and shackled her to the device. As he moved from her right side to her left, he paused to wink at her. She huffed and turned away, refusing to watch him buckle the strap on her left wrist, or admit she found the situation even remotely arousing. Hell, all he’d have to do was check between her legs to know for himself.

  With each ankle strapped down, and her thighs bound to the chair as well, he stepped away and looked down at her. His fingertips drummed against his chin.

  She avoided his eyes, his inquisitive eyes that would see right through her bravado. Watching him question a suspect enthralled her. No matter how defiant, how stubborn the suspect came off, Scott bided his time, wiggling through the holes in their stories until he got to the truth. He remained in complete control, never once wavering in his confidence he would get the answer or backing down in the dominance he displayed.

  But now, those eyes were focused on her. And he wanted answers. Could she really hold out from him?

  “Tits first,” he announced and walked behind her where lay the table with his instruments of doom. Twisting her neck, she tried to see what he picked up, but he held it behind him until he stood in front of her again.

  “What do you have?” She leaned to the right, not getting anywhere with the restraints on her arms.

  “Here’s the rules.” He tucked the implement into the back of his pants and stepped up to her, straddling her legs and sitting down on her lap. He fisted her hair and gave a quick pull, and she was looking at him down the length of her nose. “Rule one, I’m asking the questions—not you. Rule two, you will answer me honestly or you’ll be punished. Rule three. You will use your safewords if you need them, no brave hero shit tonight.”

  His lips closed in on hers, nearly touching. The jackhammering of her heart had to be echoing in the room. How could everyone not hear it? Just as she closed her eyes to accept his kiss, he released her and stood.

  “Now that we have the rules straight, let’s get to it.”

  She opened her eyes just in time to see him smirk on his face and pull out a short flogger from his pants. Her lips tingled.

  “I wonder how long you can last—what do you think? Fifteen lashes?” He flicked his wrist, maneuvering the flogger in a crossover pattern, bringing the tips of the falls close enough for her to feel the cool breeze.

  “Sure. I can do fifteen.” She nodded. Fifteen smacks and she’d win. “But wait. What do I get if you can’t get me to crack?”

  His lips quirked with a laugh. “Have I ever not gotten the guilty to talk?” he asked then held up his hand. “Don’t answer. We aren’t bringing work here. Fine. Just so you can have a glimmer of hope, if you can hold out, if you don’t give me the answers I want, I’ll pay for a month of your membership dues. Since you didn’t get a chance to win it at the game, make it through this scene with your secret still hidden, and you’ll get a free month.”

  He couldn’t be serious, but then again, she would admit, she had not seen a reluctant suspect who didn’t crack beneath him. She knew how he worked, though. She could get through it.

  “Fine.” She nodded.

  “Good.” He sealed the deal by pulling his arm back and unleashing the first lash across her exposed breasts.

  The wind from the flogger blew her hair. Her breasts jostled from the impact, but all in all, not bad. Fourteen more to go—bring it.

  She straightened her back and brought her gaze to meet his. He shook his head, still wearing that damn grin of his, and brought his hand back again, this time landing a hard smack to her thighs. She bit back a cry, clenching her jaw instead. The third and fourth lashes came hard and quick, one to her chest, the next to her thighs.

  He moved around her to her right side and brought his hand back again.

  By the tenth stroke, her breath came in ragged bursts. Her nipples budded in pained arousal, but the lashes to her thighs throbbed more.

  “Doing good, sweetheart,” he said as he ran his palm over her aching thighs. “Do you think you’d like to answer me now?”

  “I already told you.” She lifted her chin and avoiding his stare.

  He wiped a strand of hair from her heated face. “That’s my girl. I’d almost be disappointed if you made this easy on me.” He kissed her forehead and stepped back into place. The flogger came quickly across her breasts, one way then the next. Her chest became his canvas, his flogger the brush.

  She cried out, no longer able to bite back the sound of her torture.

  Hanging her head, she gasped for breath. A droplet of sweat rolled down her cheek and dripped onto her stomach.

  He touched her, fingers running through her hair and tucking it behind her. He placed kisses on her forehead. She’d taken it down from the tight bun she wore for work, much to his pleasure.

  “Why did you change districts?” he asked, moving his fingers along her jaw and down her chest to her breast. Using his knuckles, he soothed her heated flesh.

  She raised her head, finding his eyes and pushed a smile on her lips. “I didn’t like the coffee.”

  He grinned back at her, and his fingertips—the ones soothing her breasts, dug into her. Grabbing her breast, he dragged his nails along her skin until he reached her nipple. She sucked in her breath through gritted teeth. Not yet. She wouldn’t cave to him so easily. She could hold out longer.

  “Did you want to say something?”

  “No!” She clenched her eyes closed when he moved to her other breast and dug his nails into her skin. “Fuck,” she yelled, jerking her legs with the need to kick out.

  “If you would cooperate, we could get to that.” He placed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose and walked away again. When he returned, he bent over, unlatc
hed the hooks keeping her legs closed, and spread them apart wide.

  Every inch of her body, every tender spot that could be licked, kissed, or smacked became exposed to him. She scooted her butt back, noting the wetness of the leather beneath her. Through the bite and burn, her body hummed and came alive. She took a deep breath, readying herself for whatever he came to her with next.

  A vibrator appeared before her eyes.

  She’d won! That hadn’t been as hard as she thought it would be; maybe he took it easy on her because she was so new to the game.

  “You like this?” he asked, flicking the switch to start the bulbous head of the toy vibrating.

  “Hell yeah.” She laughed.

  “Well. We’ll see.” He squatted between her legs. Not really the visual she liked to display to anyone, but least of all a man she found so intoxicating. It was somewhat easier to smooth out the curves when she was standing but sitting resulted in poor results. Scott didn’t so much as blink at the imperfections of her body as he pushed against her belly and gave himself better access to her clit.

  “Why did you change districts?” he asked again, looking up at her.

  “You’re like a parrot, you know that?” She grinned. She would win this. No problem.

  Holding her gaze, he flicked on the vibe and pressed it against her clit. Not just above the hood where the vibrations could sink into her sex and rev her arousal. Or just below where the extra pressure could result in a quicker release, but directly onto the swollen nub.

  She screamed and tried to wiggle back, but she had no retreat option. Jerking her hips didn’t do anything other than meet the damn vibrator head on.

  “Oh fuck. Oh fuck.” A hard orgasm built, painfully quick. “Fuck.” She threw her head back, waiting for the explosion, welcoming the release from the vibrator. The first wave began to peak, and the vibrator was taken away.

  She was left with a slow ache, a deep throb that brought no satisfaction.

  “No!” Quickly matching his glare, she pulled against her restraints, not entirely sure of what her plan would be should she get free. But it definitely had something to do with getting that vibrator away from him and back on her clit.