Saving Sophia Read online

  “Don’t criticize a dom during an event. And don’t ever think you’re going to get away with a spanking without answering to me. Your behavior reflects on my training. You knew better than to be sassy with him.”

  His palm connected in a single smack to her tender backside, but that was all it took. The sum of all her aching needs and swollen sex exploded with a spasm of pleasure and a small wet trickle ran down her thigh. Shocked and mortified, she buried her face in the pillow, but his hands moved over the effects. “You came, didn’t you? Damn, you are so perfect.”

  He moved her to the middle of his bed where she rolled on her back. She waited for his instructions, but he simply looked at her with a smile. She returned his grin, and their connection went beyond the sex games to something deep and personal. She broke the silence. “You’re pretty darn perfect too, Marcus.”

  When his hands moved over her curvy body, the last of her shyness left the room. She allowed his cool sheets to mingle with the nerves on her still sensitive bottom. Her legs spread for his attention and she dangled her fingers across her belly down to the neatly trimmed apex that held her secrets. “Take care of me…”

  “That’s not how this works,” he growled. “You’re still wearing my collar. I’m going to play a little first, even if you are fucking hot.”

  Several sets of soft ropes were retrieved from his closet. Her eyes grew wide, and she began a weak protest. “You don’t need to tie me. I’ll stay still…”

  “When I’m done, you’re going to beg me to fuck you. Do you remember your safe word?”

  She nodded slowly, and his comforting grin took an evil turn. His sharp gaze focused on hers the entire time it took to unravel his ropes. The soreness on her bottom had transitioned to heat her entire soul, and the all-consuming ache rebuilt to a new plateau. When his fingertips slid along the insides of her arms to move them to his desired location, she moaned, “I can’t wait. Please, don’t make me.”

  He responded with a hard pinch to her already taut nipples. “Hush, or I’ll gag you. I don’t need your help tonight. I’m calling the shots.”

  The sharp pain electrified thousands of nerve endings before it defined her obedience, and she exhaled slowly while waiting for him to finish. The first rope was attached to her wrists with a carefully executed, intricate knot. Despite her reservations, she admired his handiwork with a silent rub of the restraint against her cheek.

  Testing the space between her skin and the rope, he said, “I’ve taken a few classes over the years. It’s really an art form. Remind me to show you some pictures later.”

  While he spoke, he tied her arms to the headboard and exposed her breasts to his sight. A second set of ropes widened her legs before he restrained her ankles to the footboard. Her vulnerable pink channel was surrounded by the still unfamiliar trimmed curls, and she tried to bring her thighs together to protect what was left of her privacy.

  “That’s why I use three sets of ropes,” he chuckled.

  The last combination of restraints was carefully wrapped around her thighs to open her legs even further, and her widened pussy glistened with clear need. Under his control, she could wiggle and moan, but there would be no subtle protection from her clenched thighs.

  With one last move, he slipped a soft blindfold over her eyes. Panic followed until he rested his hand between her legs with a warm touch. “That’s a beautiful sight. Now you’re truly my plaything. I am going to make you moan tonight.” His lips touched her soft belly, and he took a little nibble before he added, “Trust me.”

  She could hear a new package being opened, but didn’t ask what he was doing. She did trust him. The threat of his gag connected with her need to obey, and the combination kept her impatiently quiet. She pulled at her bondage with a desperate wiggling, but the dark world behind her blindfold increased the sound of her whimpering.

  The unexpected caress of something soft between her legs ignited a sharp spark, and the gentle, feathery touch stimulated a foreign layer of nerves across her skin. Without sight, her thoughts followed his toy, and she tried to anticipate his next move. Up and down her neck and around her smooth breasts, he teased her slowly until he worked his way to the lowest part of her belly. Finally he returned to her ready channel to tickle the small bundle of nerves tucked into her slit. He had yet to touch her with his own hands, and her ache bordered on a physical pain.

  He stopped without warning, but the nerves in her body demanded to connect to something more significant than his feathers. Deep moans of frustration accompanied her pussy-clenching need, but neither gave her any comfort. She had to bite her lower lip to stop the demands for release, and his chuckle was clearly at her expense.

  The single toy was replaced with a soft fullness dropped over her breasts. She gasped as her pussy clenched again, and her body wiggled without success. Her groans became more insistent and the throbbing between her legs demanded something… anything. The ropes left their biting red marks as she pulled them against her soft skin in a futile attempt to escape.

  Finally, she couldn’t stand it. “Just fuck me already… Please… Marcus.”

  His hand smacked sharply against her pussy and the biting sting filled a primal, almost welcome need, but the disapproving tone increased her tension even further. “Didn’t I tell you this was my game?”

  She attempted to lower her chin in remorse, but his huge palm enveloped her sex and forced her head to the ceiling with a gasp. He added, “I like this wetness, but we will do things my way tonight. If you don’t obey me, I’ll take my belt here. Do you want your pussy smacked with my belt?”

  The cortex of her brain demanded to be allowed to scream ‘fuck, yes!’ but the reasonable part shook her head quickly. The scent from her sex brought a new sense into play, and she believed her wetness could not reach a higher peak when his leather rested at the apex of her sex. He whispered in her ear, “Maybe you don’t need it smacked, Sophia. Maybe you just want me to play with it?”

  A series of gentle flicks tickled her sensitive clit, and the erotic touch pushed her to the edge of her sanity. More wetness escaped and simple spasms of pleasure tumbled through her body in long, rolling waves.

  Once again, he changed his tactics before the ignition completed. The soft feathers returned to torment her, and her edge was lost. Their gentle, erotic touch was a thousand times more punishing than his leather or the palm of his hand. They circled and teased her clit then moved slowly up and down her wet channel igniting each tiny nerve ending one at time. Her breath fell into short, shallow pants while her brain demanded something hard, painful. Her need to finish became her only focus, and her entire body moved toward one simple goal.

  He spoke to her, but his words had no meaning. Resting on the edge of a powerful explosion, she reached for the volcano that existed within her, but he withdrew his toy without warning, and she whimpered.

  Marcus’ lips ran over the back of her neck and reconnected her to his presence. “Do you want to come, Sophia? Beg me… and make it count, or I’ll leave you like this.”

  She bordered on panic. “Please. Please, Marcus. Let me come. Take me another step. I… I can’t stand it… I… I can’t breathe. I need this.”

  His laugh remained evil as he released her hands from the restraints. “I want to see you touch yourself. Use your fingers and explore your own soft pussy.”

  Watching the world from the outside had not taught her to find comfort from her own company, and she’d spent a lifetime avoiding her body. She should have hesitated, but the magical weeks at Cloudcroft had given her confidence. Marcus was by her side and the fresh angst of her swollen sex spoke louder than her need to be prim.

  Tentatively, she touched the outsides of her lips with a quiet resolve. Her body reacted appropriately to the erotic stimulation, and her plateau inched closer. The double edge of giving and receiving pleasure connected as she felt the power surge through her body to feed her entire nervous system.

  Marcus whispe
red, “Good girl. It feels good, doesn’t it? Now…I want to see you fuck yourself.”

  When she hesitated a second time, his mouth went to her breast and took her nipple between his teeth. The pain in her breast pulled the coming explosion a little closer, and she simply needed relief. The source was no longer important, and she plunged her fingers into the nucleus of her sex.

  His cock worked its way through her still dark world to tickle the nerves between her lips, and she eagerly opened her mouth. The delicate taste of his sex nourished her as an aphrodisiac, and she sucked him with a fierce intensity. In and out with her fingers, she fed her need as Marcus rubbed her inner thighs and her tongue explored his hardness.

  When she added the edge of her teeth, he gasped and moved his hand to her hair to control the momentum. Her breath slowed to shallow pants as she returned to the edge of her euphoria. She tormented and twisted her clit with hard pinches that alternated with dark plunges to the deepest part of her vagina. Small gasps of pleasure morphed slowly to low moans, and she held her breath to wait for her reward.

  Without warning, Marcus pulled his shaft out of her mouth to pin her wrists above her head with just one of his large hands. He plunged his cock into the sopping wetness with a punishing thrust, and she greeted his entry with an explosion of pleasure. The spasms in her vagina spread throughout her nervous system, and the primal part of her body rode her satisfaction wave after wave.

  He wore no condom and the movement of his soft skin against her sensitive nerves connected them in the most intimate of experiences. Her birth control from Dan Garcia and their clean medical records had allowed a new level of play. Deep movements slid his cock through the tightness of her pussy, and she grasped him as fully as her muscles allowed. He took her to a second orgasmic explosion that was lost in the magnitude of his own deliverance, and her voice moved to a low-decibel scream that she barely recognized as her own.

  Exhausted, his giant body rested on top of hers. His gift slid slowly down her leg, but even if she had a choice, she would not have cleaned it away. Every nerve ending in her body felt securely tied to his powerful presence while her endorphins returned from their sexual high. Their physical tie was so complete, there was no need for verbal communication.

  After a long while, he returned her sight and released her body from his bondage to hold her close to his chest. Her muscles ached from their twisting abuse, but still quivered with contentment. His gentle touch returned, and she grew sleepy.

  When darkness overtook the room, they slept as one until the morning light came through the window, and they got up to start their day together. The unspoken commitment remained long after the soreness in her muscles had dissipated.

  Chapter Ten

  Monday was a day off for everyone and only the basic chores were completed to keep the property running. Sophia truly enjoyed the busy companionship at Cloudcroft, but the part of her soul reserved for solitude insisted she rise at dawn to pick strawberries for the family breakfast. The damp cool morning presented a wonderful contrast to the afternoon heat, and she quickly became distracted with a random weeding of the rose beds. It was a solid hour before Marcus found her.

  Despite her laughing protests, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. She giggled and gave him a gentle swat. “You just took a shower, Marcus. I’m filthy. Leave me alone.”

  “I’m going to have to tie you to my bed at night,” he growled. “What kind of dom lets their sub escape in the morning?”

  It took a few warm smacks on her bottom before she was reminded to give in to his touch. A strong embrace and powerful kiss rewarded her, and she shivered under his attention before they held hands back to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

  She carefully washed and cut the strawberries while Marcus finished preparing a vegetable quiche for the family. Linc set the table, and Jack lounged on the couch with a sleepy Bella curled by his side. Even Meg and Jerry had joined the familiar morning routine in two comfortable chairs with cups of strong coffee.

  Linc stole a strawberry while resting his hand on Sophia’s shoulder. “You’ve been here for almost two months, little girl, and there’s one more thing we promised to teach you before you go back to school.”

  Everyone looked at him expectantly, but Sophia froze as the many images of a Cloudcroft lesson crossed her mind. He waited for a dramatic pause before he continued. “Driving. We’re going to teach you how to drive… remember?”

  Bella laughed at Sophia’s overt sigh of relief, and Linc smirked. “Finish your breakfast, and I’ll take you out this morning.”

  The thought of Linc teaching her to do anything caused her stomach to clench, but before she could protest, Bella scoffed, “You can’t teach her to drive, Linc. You have absolutely no patience, and the only way you know how to teach anything is with your ugly paddle.”

  Sophia wiggled with the memory. “I’ve seen that paddle. It is ugly.”

  “All he has to do is show it to me, and I start to cry,” Bella said with a shudder.

  A scowl formed on his handsome face. “If we had a few less naughty subs around here, I wouldn’t have to use it.”

  “Yeah… but the first time she doesn’t do something you say, you’re going to get all dom-like on her, and she won’t get out of the driveway. Let somebody else teach her. I can do it.”

  “You aren’t that good of a driver, Bel,” laughed Jack. “No sense in extending bad habits.”

  Bella started to object, but quickly added, “Well, fine… but you and Marcus don’t have any patience either. She’s better off with me.”

  Jerry had heard enough and stood with a frown. “All of you pretty much suck at teaching. I taught Driver’s Ed for years before I came to the ranch. I’ll teach her to drive.”

  His reasoning shut the argument down, and Sophia gave him a grateful look. “Thanks, Jerry. I promise I’ll focus.” Gentle, fatherly Jerry would make the guarantee much easier to keep than either the frightening Linc or the sassy Bella.

  “We’ll start right after breakfast,” he said. “There are miles of private ranch roads where we can practice without any paperwork. You can get the learner’s permit next week, but we can give you a feel for the vehicle now.”

  After years of driving heavy equipment, the truck was easy. Jerry was a patient teacher, and the lessons appealed to her mechanical side. His instruction included everything from the workings of an internal combustion engine to how to change a tire. Within a week, Sophia was the acknowledged expert at both and even learned more about small engine maintenance for the expensive gardening equipment.

  Marcus expressed his approval of her freshly organized shed while she sharpened the lawnmower blades with a flat file. “I’ve never seen this place look so nice. You’re doing a lot more around here than we’d ever expected. Jack says you’re even helping with the stock paperwork.”

  She blushed under the rare compliment. “I love learning more about the animals. He keeps records of everything from their heritage, vet care, and vaccinations to feeding and even training if it’s the horses. It’s really time-consuming, so he says I’m helpful when I can get over there. I like working on the machinery too. It’s a good way to fill my days during the rain, or when I just want a break for a few hours.”

  “Most people don’t think about working on greasy messes during their break,” Bella groaned. “We definitely need to get you out more.”

  The men smirked at the sassy taunt, but Marcus still scolded. “Leave her alone, Bella. I think she’s perfect just the way she is.”

  * * *

  The Fourth of July party was the summertime highlight for the ranch and one of the few family events of the year. Some of the adults were regular resort guests, but the picnic, games, horse riding, and fireworks would showcase multi-generational, close-knit families for the day from as far away as Jackson. Despite her personal growth, Sophia privately dreaded the occasion as another reminder of her lonely past, and she worked hard to
avoid any additional responsibilities that would bring her into the middle of the crowded party.

  Bella, however, was excited. “I got into a little trouble with Jack last year and missed most of it, but it’s really worth the effort. Everybody has a great time, and it’s kind of nice to see kids running around the place.”

  The workload prediction proved to be an understatement. A mind-numbing schedule of baking, cooking, and cleaning lasted for days. Guest rooms and cabins were prepared for a full capacity overnight crowd, and the kitchen storage units were filled with potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and cornbread. A huge dessert bar was set up on the back stone patio with homemade tiny cupcakes, cookies, and gooey bite-sized fruit tarts. Kegs of beer, pop, sweet tea, and lemonade were all included in the cost of admission.

  The morning promised clear skies and a pleasant temperature, and the extended staff started at dawn to organize the massive party site. Linc greeted early guests and worked on troubleshooting while Marcus and Jack manned the outdoor barbeque pit. Meg, Bella, and Carly spent their time in the busy kitchen and main house, and a half dozen day helpers were scheduled to waitress and run games all day.

  After she’d helped set up tents and chairs, Sophia worked hard to blend in with the decorations. The abundance of red, white, and blue brought noisy camaraderie to strangers, but Sophia didn’t engage the happy crowds. Embracing the outside world was easy behind Marcus’s firm support. Without him, she resorted to her old habit of watching families from the safety behind her anonymous life. Her roommates were too busy to notice her subtle withdrawal, and she found a spot on a small stone wall at the far end of the gardens.

  Surprisingly, she found no comfort in her routine. Giggling children ran in and out of the colorful plants while their parents and grandparents followed their games. Hugs, cuddling, and familial contentment surrounded her every move. Existence on the edge of a very important societal norm returned the lonely sadness she hadn’t felt in weeks.