Bondage Ranch 6: Taming the Mistress by Sindra van Yssel Page B

man. Even with Bruce, as much as she’d enjoyed submitting, it had never felt quite so clear to her. Then again, Bruce had always simply assumed he was the top; Dane had let her claw and scratch for it until he’d proved where he belonged. She knew she’d rebel and push back, but she couldn’t imagine him ever rolling over and baring his throat for her.
    Maybe that was the attraction, but it seemed harsh to all the men who had submitted to her. Had she never respected them at all?
    “Talk to me, Sue. What are you thinking?” Laera tugged, and Sue felt her lungs constrict.
    “No tighter.”
    Laera chuckled. “I will if you don’t talk.”
    “That’s blackmail.”
    “Correct.”
    Sue sighed. If Laera pulled the strings any tighter, even sighing would be difficult. “Okay, I give. Is submitting to Dane betraying every man who ever submitted to me?”
    “Like you’re making a pecking order? Dane on top? You next? And them, nonconsensually, under him? I don’t think it matters, Sue. He seems pretty straight, for one thing. Although… Wow, that would be hot to watch, wouldn’t it? Dane pushing Frank onto the floor, their bodies shining with sweat. Maybe he’d tell you to come over and lube him up, before he—”
    “Down girl!” Sue laughed but was vaguely horrified at the same time. And turned on.
    “Or you two could top a man together.”
    “Again, down with the fantasies. Or…well, maybe we should have a girl’s night sometime and let ourselves go. But not right now. I need my head on straight.”
    “Of course. But Sue, what you said isn’t right. Maybe you’re not living up to the fantasies they have of you. Sue the merciless. Sue the invincible. But those fantasies never last anyway, do they? They can always find someone who will do nastier things to them, if they want someone who is plain mean. What you’ve offered is something else. You told me about it once, long ago, when I was learning about the scene.” Laera tied off the corset.
    Sue turned. “What was that?”
    “Someone who knew what her subs wanted because you wanted it too. Someone who understood the emotions of submission. That was who you said you were. Everything they felt, you felt and enjoyed.”
    Did I say that? It sounded familiar. It sounded like it was a long time ago, but she’d only known Laera for a few years. Being a domme had changed her, although it hadn’t happened overnight. Hardened her. She admired her fellow dommes, but she wasn’t sure she liked herself now as much as she had when she’d met Laera. She pulled out a pair of strappy high-heeled sandals and slipped them on.
    “Is that still what you get out of topping people, Sue?” Laera pressed.
    Sue shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.” She wasn’t sure what she’d been getting out of it lately. Sure, she liked pleasing, and it was fun making a man get hard. Making him squirm was amusing. She did have a sadistic streak. But it didn’t make her motor run, or fuel her dreams when she played with herself at night. “I think I’ve been going through the motions. It’s not as much fun as it used to be, and maybe that’s why.”
    “Or maybe you’re ready to move on. People change. You should talk to Samantha’s husband sometime.”
    “Arthur? Why?” Samantha’s husband was also her master, and clearly was good at what he did, although he never played with anyone but Sam.
    “Sam told me he used to be a sub. Saw it as an apprenticeship for being a master. The point is you’d never know it now, would you? He definitely wears the pants in that family, and from what Bruce has told me, Sam used to be a major brat.”
    “Yep. Sam the SAM. Smart-assed masochist. Always figured the way to get what she wanted was to goad someone into giving it to her. That kind of thing can be fun for a bit. Wears thin with me and most doms pretty quickly.” She shrugged. “I think I’ve been doing that with Dane. But he doesn’t seem to mind.”
    Laera stepped