Roses and Chains by Delphine Dryden Read Free Book Online

Mara had
    determined with some relief that the many, many little candles deployed to such effect around the room were actually LEDs, but they still flickered and gleamed. And they
    still provided a romantic overtone that was so unusual for a dungeon.
    The white collar and cuffs, and the links of the chain, caught the moody lighting
    and drew the eye, helping to make a centerpiece of the suspended sub. And just in the foreground, the Master paced in a short arc, toying with his sleeves and looking
    thoughtful. He was trim and graceful, with economical movements and an air of
    decisive calm about him.
    42
    Roses and Chains
    Delia was watching him. He was studiously ignoring her. Getting into character,
    Mara decided, working himself into the scene like an actor about to perform.
    When he stopped and turned to observe his sub, Mara’s breath caught for a few
    heartbeats. The anxiety in Delia’s eyes, in every line of her body as she struggled to keep her balance, was such a sharp contrast with the serene elegance of Master Daniel’s posture as he looked at her for a few seconds and then released a gentle sigh.
    “What are you expecting, I wonder?” he mused, almost as though he were talking
    to himself. He stepped off again, this time circling behind the sub. Mara could see Delia struggling with herself not to turn her head to watch him, then losing that struggle after a few seconds.
    “No. Eyes front, Delia.” Not barked, not growled or snapped. Just stated. Mara
    liked that. It was controlled. If Master Daniel was just learning, he clearly had a certain knack.
    “Mara,” he said next, to her surprise, “since you’re staying with us for the evening, would you like to help?”
    She had been standing with her hands clasped behind her back, a loose
    approximation of parade rest. Now she was glad he couldn’t see her wringing her
    hands together. Would she like to help ? Even without knowing exactly what he had in mind, she thought she would very much like to help.
    Mara nodded. “Yes, if it pleases you, Master Daniel.”
    “It does. Or it will. Get the clear item we were discussing, put it in the pitcher. And then bring me the thing I left lying on top of the other items in that bottom drawer. And as for you,” he said with a brisk slap to Delia’s bare ass, “it’s time you were introduced to some of the purchases I made the other day at your favorite store.”
    Mara rushed to find the glass baton and smuggle it across the room without Delia
    catching a glimpse. Fortunately, the table where the water pitcher sat was out of the other sub’s sight line, so she wouldn’t be able to see the long, ribbed dildo being
    plunged into its ice bath.
    43
    Delphine Dryden
    She would be able to feel it soon enough. As she would feel the long, slender tawse
    that Mara fetched next. When she returned to Master Daniel with it, he just nodded. He was knotting a black silk scarf in place over Delia’s eyes, so it was clearly to be a night of limited information and many surprises for her fellow sub.
    “Kneel right there and wait with it.”
    Still holding the forked strap, she knelt, the movement placing her next to one of
    Delia’s feet. Mara wasn’t certain how much to fall into line, how far Dru would want her to go. But she felt a definite atmosphere in the room, a growing sense that Things Were Going to Happen very soon. She studied the sub and Dom in front of her, trying
    to feel her way into the scene with them.
    Master Daniel had been jingling something in his pocket, something that didn’t
    quite sound like coins or keys. Now, his attention back on Delia, he pulled his hand out and revealed two devilish-looking butterfly clamps, each bearing a little crystal weight.
    “Safe word,” Master Daniel said softly, and Delia took a moment to respond. She
    was already zoning out a little bit, Mara thought.
    “Brussels sprouts.”
    “Blech,” Mara said, thinking it was under her breath. When both the others turned
    her