The Portrait: Chapter 1

There was nothing like the sound of an open palm on flesh—even over speaker phone.
 
Alexander scrawled his name on the contract for the upcoming Grand Arbiter’s dinner. “Are you being a good girl, Lina?”
 
A small whimper sounded.
 
A male hmmm followed. “Answer Master Rockingham.” Master R’s voice was soothing as if attempting to get a child to calm down. As if Carolina ever would, and she was no child.
 
“Y-yes, sir.”
 
A long chuckle echoed through the speaker. “Are you telling the truth?” More slaps. More crying.
 
A feminine snuffle was next. “No.”
 
That was the first honest thing to come out of Lina’s mouth all day. She’d once again refused to follow simple protocol.
 
A year ago—before Rebecca and Eric were permanent fixtures in his life—Lina often had to be reminded by Alexander himself the rules of the game. No breaking into another’s scene. No playing without her consent being witnessed. No forcing a punishment with a smart mouth.

 
A long, feminine moan filled the room. She must have done something good to earn that bit of pleasure from Master R.
 
Alexander tucked the contract in the folder, placed it in the out box on his desk for Clarisse to manage in the morning. “Master R, I’m sure you have this handled.” He killed the call he hadn’t wanted to be on in the first place but her Master asked for a witness.
 
Alexander knew better. Lina wanted an audience—from him. Rewarding her with his presence wasn’t an option so speaker phone, it was.
 
“Knock. Knock.” Rebecca leaned against the door jamb. His heart did what it always did at seeing her. Danced like a Lipazzaner stallion.
 
He gestured for her to come in. “I thought you and Eric were at yoga.”
 
“And I thought you were retired.” She perched her butt on his desk and leaned closer. Her low cut T-shirt gave him a spectacular view of the crease between her breasts.

Alexander yanked her across the desk sending paperwork askew and a pen to the floor. Now seated squarely in front of him he could admire her more closely. “This is me retired. And Sarah is still on vacation.” He palmed her thighs.

Rebecca placed her hands on his shoulder. “It sounds like she needed one.”

“I’m shocked she went.”
 
“Kicking and screaming but Steffan has a way with her like no other. Laurent, too.”

Sarah was lucky to have two men—one Dominant, one submissive. Alexander wouldn’t have been surprised if Steffan, a Dominant by nature, wouldn’t have tied her up and hauled her away on his shoulder to make her take some time off. Alexander would have paid good money to see it, actually.
 
Rebecca gave off a delicate sigh as he massaged her legs, inching his fingers closer to her ass. “Laurent’s not unlike Eric, is he?” The man was more switch than submissive but he and Laurent both had a way with people–mostly charming the pants off anything that wore pants. Or dresses. Or burlap bags if the occasion presented itself.

Also not unlike another he and Rebecca once knew–and loved.
 
He released his hold on Rebecca and leaned back in his chair. “Or Charles.”
 
The mention of their lover of forty years ago raised a sadness in her eyes. She sucked in a long breath and blinked, her eyes clearing. Whatever thought she had at Charles name seemed to have vanished as quickly as it arose.
 
She leaned back on her hands. “You have much more work to do?”
 
“Always.”
 
She began to swing her legs back and forth like a little girl perched on her daddy’s desk. “Wouldn’t you rather be back out in the wild?”

Ah, so this conversation again. Why was he back working? Why couldn’t he find a hobby that didn’t involve him spending long hours at his desk? Those conversations always ended the same—usually with her bound and writhing under his hands for questioning his actions.

Truth was, Sarah simply needed a break and he was the logical substitute since he’d launched Accendos many years ago. Plus, Accendos was his private home. Where else would he go?

He just couldn’t seem to get Rebecca settled here. “Wild, yes. But not liking it at home?” Her travel writing days were behind her but her wanderlust never seemed far away.

Their trips over the last year had been good—spectacular even. He, Eric and Rebecca had visited everywhere from the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Japan to Eastern Island in Chile. Then, of course, there was South Africa. Just remembering what the three of them did in their Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve room, nestled in a rock formation, got him hard. Hard as the stone had been over their heads.

He’d have stayed “out in the wild,” as Rebecca so aptly put it. forever. But then word reached him—via Laurent—that Sarah had moved back to Club Accendos “for the time being” and to “oversee the sudden interest in bending rules and protocol” by everyone.

Abandoning her live in situation with Steffan and Laurent, their shared submissive, was all it took for Alexander to jet himself home.

As soon as Alexander walked back through the door of Accendos, he could tell something was off.
 
Sarah, who’d taken over for him, had done a valiant job. But she’d had to move back to her room at Accendos a month into her Grand Arbiter role. Heavy is the head that wears the crown and all that nonsense was thrown at him when he’d confront her with it. Rather, when the cat’s away the mice will stage a coup forgetting what drew them to Accendos to begin with: order, safety, privacy.
 
He shut the club down for an entire week, threatening to yank everyone’s membership if they didn’t get with the program or ensure others were. It felt damned good to deliver the news at the top of his lungs in the middle of the Library. He must have been channeling all that raw energy from their last trip to the Serengeti plains.

Alexander tucked a lock of hair behind Rebecca’s ear. “Sarah needs time to regroup. Plus, I rather missed making heads roll.” He pushed Rebecca’s knees apart—easily done when wearing yoga pants. He was rather feeling some of that Serengeti primal energy now.

Rebecca gave him a small, shy smile–so not like her. She usually bounded into his office with no hesitation. “But how about taking the night off? If I beg? Eric is downstairs.”

“In any of my favorite positions?” On his knees? Bound? Strapped to something immoveable?

She laughed lightly and placed her hands on his shoulders. “In the vestibule so he won’t be tempted by anything going on in the Library. Heard Lina was getting, um, corrected again.”

“So diplomatic.” He inched his fingers under her simple T-shirt, needing to feel her flesh in his palms. The instant his hands circled her waist, the front of his pants began to strain. “She is on her last chance here. And Eric can wait. I told you what would happen if you continued to try to direct me.”

Rebecca licked her bottom lip, lowered her eyes. Her face grew still, serious. “Good. I was hoping…

“Yes?”

“Well, I did get a peek in to the Library, so…”

He leaned back, his hands releasing their hold on her waist. This should be good. Steepling his hands, he rested his chin on his fingertips. “And?”

A long silence followed his rather simple question.
 
“Rebecca.” Delays weren’t like her, either.
 
She flushed and bit her lip. “I don’t know what to ask for.”
 
“But there is something.” There always was with Rebecca, something he loved. Whoever said women—whatever their age—didn’t have a sexual appetite had never gotten to really understand one.
 
“It’s been a few days and…”
 
He chuckled. “Horny?”
 
Her mouth dropped open.
 
“A bird’s going to fly in there, you know.”
 
He lips snapped shut. “I’ve never heard you use that word before. But yes.” The flush across her chest warmed something in him.
 
After all this time, Rebecca’s shyness was unexpected. They’d done things together that would shock most people – double penetration with Eric surrounded by twelve other people for starters. Yet, asking for what she wanted right now appeared beyond her.
 
He studied her. “Did you think I’d refuse?” He was a hard ass but not unreasonable when it came to taking care of her.
 
“Well…” she scoffed. “Yeah. You’re my…”
 
“Master? Plaything?” He rose, captured her cheek in his hands. “Lover? Love of my life?”
 
“Yes. You rather like choosing when and how.”
 
“Which will never change.” However, perhaps he also had let things go unattended of late. Love made him loose around the edges, softening. But she required more, namely clear direction. And someone had to ensure her and Eric’s safety or the two of them could get into as much trouble as Lina, if left to their own devices.
 
“Take off that T-shirt.” Eric could most definitely wait.
 
She didn’t hesitate yanking the God awful thing over her head revealing a lacier bra than anyone would normally wear to a yoga class.
 
“Nice.” He arched an eyebrow. “Pants next.”
 
She moved to ease herself off the desk but stopped when he tsked.
 
“Did I say to leave your position?”
 
She swallowed but even he could see she suppressed a smile. So, she thought she was winning, namely his attention. He did love this part, when his submissives believed they were getting one thing when he had something far greater planned.
 
She wiggled out of her bottoms, and the good girl let them fall to the ground.
 
He grasped the back of her knees and yanked her closer. “Lean back.” She placed her hands behind her, which caused her to arch her lace panties—also very nice—toward him.
 
He lowered himself to his chair again, a creak breaking into the silence as he leaned back. “Now. Tell me specifics.”
 
“I wasn’t thinking of anything specific.”
 
Sure she wasn’t.
 
“Are you sure?” He leaned forward and thrust his fingers under the lace crotch of the panties. With no delay, he thrust hid index finger inside her. She gasped and whimpered, but God love her, she didn’t move her hands.
 
His finger curled every so slightly earning another sharp intake of air from her. “What. do. you. want?”
 
“Whatever you want.”
 
Her rather enjoyed that answer. He withdrew his finger. “Off.”
 
The woman’s lace panties joined her yoga pants in no time. She then settled back on her hands and inched her legs even further apart.
 
“Beautiful.” This time he inserted two fingers and her lips dropped open. He pressed his thumb against her clit and rubbed little circled until he felt her loosen, grow wetter.
 
Without moving his hand, he rose to his full height and leaned toward her so she had no choice but to fall to her back on his desk. “Open your eyes. Watch mine. No matter what.” He then moved his fingers in lazy circles until she couldn’t keep her legs still.
 
A long groan left her throat.
 
He inserted a third finger. “I could watch you in this position all day. In fact, I’d like to hang that portrait over my mantle.” His eyes sliced to where he’d hang the painting.
 
She smiled—a slow inching up of her lips that signaled perhaps she could also picture such a thing. No face. Just her knees, wide, with all the pink glistening flesh… His zipper was going to bust open from the mere mental picture. 
 
He quickened his fingers. “You’d do that for me, wouldn’t you?”
 
She blinked and sucked in a long breath. She was close. “What?”
 
“Sit for a painter. Let him paint you. Like this.”
 
Her eyes widen and she nodded. “Whatever you wish.”
 
It was a fine idea. One he might make good on.
 
He withdrew his finger and a protesting whine left her throat.
 
“Let’s go get Eric. Finish this at home.”
 
“That means, we’ll—”
 
“That means I’ll consider whatever you have yet to ask me for.”
 
He loved her smiles—like the big beaming one she now sported. Wait until she learned of his plans, however. She wanted to be played with so, fine. He was a man of service.
 
He also was going to commission that painter. Perhaps he did need a hobby beyond mastering two very wonderful people. Yes, a hobby. One that Eric could help with.

~~~~

Read Chapter Two Here.

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If you’d like to learn more about Alexander, Rebecca and Eric, you can find their story (which takes place before this serial) in INVINCIBLE here and here.