The Auction (Club Indulgence Duet, #1)(48)

She shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Flower."

She locks her tormented gaze on mine.

"Bring him into the life," I state.

She bites her lip and blinks hard.

"Tell me why I should do this to you," I demand.

She looks at me in surprise.

"I want to hear it, Flower."

She licks her lips, then her voice cracks. "I need it."

I decide it's enough for now. I stroke her cheek. "Okay, then."

She lets out a breath, as if she's releasing some sort of pent-up suffering. But I don't doubt she has been. I know Aria's past and what she's been through. I understand why she can't escape her submissive or masochistic tendencies.

I rise and step behind her. I glance at Blakely, whose looking at me in horror. I order, "Flower, what do good girls get?"

"Rewards, Sir."

"Have you been good?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Would you like your reward?"

"Please, Sir," she begs, her voice laced with pain.

I run my hand over her ass cheeks several times, notice Blakely clench her jaw, and keep my hand there longer than I normally would.

"Please, Sir," Aria whispers so quietly I barely hear her.

It tugs me out of my obsession with Blakely. That's the issue with working two subs at once. You have to keep both their needs in mind, and it's easy to get lost in one, which can hurt the other. I step back, raise the flogger in the air, and smack it on Aria's ass.

"Ugh...thank you, Sir," she says.

Blakely's eyes widen.

Knowing what Aria needs, I give her ten strong lashes in a row, watching her body language and listening to changes in her voice. I go to the drawers, select a bullet, and stand above her. I lock eyes with Blakely and state, "The duality of pain and pleasure morph together more than we know in life, becoming one highly charged emotion. You, Aria, even me, we can't escape it." I turn the vibrating feature on and slide the bullet under Aria's panties and into her body.

She moans, then adds, "Thank you, Sir."

Emotions flare on Blakely's face. I've never had a sub show so much jealousy over me touching another sub. Yet I also see the curiosity budding, and I know I've finally made some progress.

I remind myself Aria's in a vulnerable position. I return to my role and resume flogging her. After five slaps, I yell out, "Don't you dare come, Flower."

"Please, Sir!" she cries out, which surprises me. She normally can take more before she begs. It tells me that it's been too long since she had a release.

"No," I reply, knowing the longer she fights it, the more intense it'll be for her. Plus, Blakely needs to see what's possible...what she has to learn to do.

I flog her three more times, and Aria shrieks, "Please, Sir!" Her tears drip on the wood floor, pooling under the bench. Sweat coats her skin in tiny beads.

Blakely studies it all, her eyes darting between us like she can't decide where to focus.

"Pet, watch Flower's face," I demand.

Her jealousy flares again.

"That's an order, and I expect a response," I bark, my crazed feeling beginning to brew.

Blakely jumps but can't go very far since she's still restrained to the cross. She blurts out, "Yes, Sir."

I point to Aria.

Blakely refocuses on Aria.

I hit the button on the remote, so the vibrations intensify, and continue flogging Aria, denying her requests until her "Sirs" are barely audible with her broken voice. I finally crack the leather over her red ass and demand, "Come."

Her body erupts in a spasm, convulsing against the bench, and I rub my hand over her ass cheeks to soothe the sting.

And then it happens. Aria's whimpers turn to sobs, and I know I made an error. I unlatch her from the bench, tug her into my arms, and stroke her hair. I tell her, "Shh. It'll be okay."

She becomes hysterical, and I silently curse her. I warned her she couldn't go back. We've had plenty of conversations. This is what happens when you try to deny your needs after getting in tune with them. When she told me she was head over heels for a guy who isn't in the life, I shouldn't have had her come here. I should have known she'd be too fragile.

Now, I've really messed up.

Aria's so distraught, there's no doubt she's having a breakdown. I leave Blakely on the cross, carrying Aria out of the room.

I take her to the guest bedroom and sit on the bed with her crying on my lap.

She finally calms enough to look up. "I-I'm sorry," she cries out, and fresh tears fall.

"Shh. Everything's fine."

"Riggs, I don't know what I'm doing," she chokes out.

I tug her head to my chest, letting her sob until she calms again. In a firm voice, I say, "We'll talk about this tomorrow. But you have to let me speak to him. He needs to come into the life, or you have to let him go."

"But I love him," she cries out.

"Shh. We'll talk tomorrow," I order, wait until she's sniffling, put her on her feet, and pull back the covers.

She slides onto the bed, and I pull the blankets over her. She says, "I'm sorry, Riggs."

I shake my head. "No sorry. You did well."