Daniel had been pushing Char to try new things—mostly things she’d always wanted to do but that Raphaël had deemed inappropriate for the Mistress of Paris. Visiting a BDSM club had been one of those things. Torch Light was the Steele Brothers’ place in San Francisco.

Shaking her head, Char paced back and forth on the steps of the club. “No, I can’t do it. We’re too old for a kink club.”

“Not true. I’ve played here for years. They have people and wolves from eighteen to eighty who play here. You told me you’d always been curious.”

“Maybe, but that was before I heard you were a founding member.”

Daniel chuckled. “Did you think I lived as a celibate monk? D/s is an easy way to have negotiated sex.”

“We called that prostitution back in Paris.” She snarked.

“No. There is a contract, but no money is exchanged. Each partner knows what to expect and gets precisely what they want.”

Char stopped and looked up at him as he leaned against the railing. “Didn’t any of them want your knot?”

He shook his head, smiling ruefully. “I told you. You’re the only female in human form I’ve ever knotted. Now, Char, or the first thing that happens is that you get spanked.”

“Daniel,” she hissed.

“Twenty, Char.”

“Oh, all right,” she said, marching up the stairs and through the door as Daniel held it open. “You’re being unfair.”

She barely managed to get the word out before his hand connected with her ass. Char whirled around. Fisting her black mane before she could stop him, he titled her head back and slanted his mouth over hers before nibbling down to the now healed mark on her neck and kissing it lovingly.

“You’ve been assigned a locker and it has your outfit for tonight. Change into it and I’ll meet you right outside the door to the submissives’ salon.”

Char’s eyes scanned his face and seeing his resolve, she entered and changed as instructed. By the time she joined him, he was dressed in black leather trousers, a vest, and boots. Char was wearing a black leather corset laced with silver-white lacing and matching boy shorts, plus a black pair of Louboutin’s.

“This thing barely covers my ass.” The sss sound trailed off when she got a good look at the man waiting her. “God you’re gorgeous. I knew there was a reason I fell for you.”

Chuckling, Daniel led her into the lounge before ordering himself a Whiskey Sour and a glass of vintage champagne for her. He placed both drinks on the table next to the leatherback wingback, parted his legs, and patted his thigh. Daniel untied the silver lacing on both sides and opened the shorts, easily removing them her body. Glaring at him, she placed herself over his thigh as his other leg closed against the back of her own.

She had the most perfect ass—always had, and it hadn’t changed—round and firm with the silkiest of skin. Caressing it, he enjoyed the way it quivered with his touch.

“You have the prettiest ass, and I love it when it has some residual color. Let’s see, that was one…”

Two through ten came hard and fast and Char held onto his leg to steady herself. Eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen were softer, more seduction than punishment. Daniel had been hard from the moment they’d entered the club and taken a fair amount of teasing from Linc and Hudson.

“So, your son and my brother’s widowed mate?” said Rhodes.

“Interesting,” said Linc.

He’d leave Dax to deal with Chelsea. He had his own mate to deal with.

His cock seemed to get harder and harder, throbbing with intent as each slap landed on her ass. Daniel watched as Char started to relax, softening her spine, melting over his thigh, and moaning. He didn’t count out loud; the rhythmic spanking was the only sound relaxing her. When she accepted his authority, she accepted everything he gave to her.

As Daniel landed the last strikes, he increased the strength behind them. Fifteen through twenty were rapid fire and made her arousal spike. She rubbed her cheek against his leg, and he smiled. Her response was amazing—open, honest, entreating. He finished by slipping his hand between her thighs and trailing his finger up the cleft of her ass.

When he was done, he helped her to stand before pulling her into his lap. She was dripping on his leathers, but he didn’t care. It would be a stain he’d wear proudly. When he played at the club, Daniel would offer kind words and orgasms, but never anything that even resembled cuddling. And yet with Char, discipline always ended with her in his lap, her head tucked under his chin as he crooned to her.

Daniel stood, lifting her in his arms and walking onto the main stage. He set her down by the demonstration table which was really just an elaborate massage table.

Keeping a hand on her, he said, “You with me, sweetheart?”

She nodded. “What is this stuff?”

He grinned. “That’s flash cotton, water, flame play liquids, and a violet wand.”

“Fl—did you say flame play?”

Daniel nodded.

“Daniel is one of only two fire Doms we have at Torch Light,” called Lincoln Steele, who held is dozing mate wrapped in a cashmere blanket in his lap.

Grace roused herself enough to raise her head. “Don’t be afraid, Char. It’s really just a mind fuck and is totally amazing. Daniel is great.”

Char turned back to him. “So, you’re going to what? Set me on fire?”

“Not all of you at once, but yes, that’s the basic idea.”

Char turned back to Grace. “Is he serious?”

Daniel took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Eyes back here, Char.” He held his hand out.

Taking a deep breath, Char took it and let him lead her closer to the table. He leaned down and pulled out an antique knife from his boot, placed it under the laces and lifted, slicing through them like the proverbial hot knife through butter. She caught the front of the corset to hold it over her breasts.

Daniel shook his head. “Give it to me.”

“I’ll be naked,” she whispered.

“I know,” he teased. “What do you say? I think Char is more afraid of being naked than being set on fire.”

“You’re an asshole,” she hissed.

“Would you like to go for another round of twenty before you give me the corset?” he asked with a bit more resolve in his voice.

Char sighed, handed him the corset, and allowed him to place her on the table. He knew fire could be scary, but Grace was right; it really was more of a mind fuck than anything, and Char trusted him.

“If you’re really frightened…”

She straightened her back. “No, I said I’d do this.”

“In all fairness, you said you’d visit the club. You never really agreed to do anything, just visit.”

She grinned. “Okay, so maybe you’re not such an asshole.”

Daniel positioned her on the table, smoothing back her hair so it hung over the edge and wouldn’t get in the way. He inhaled deeply and purred, the scent of her arousal pleasing him. He traced his finger over her mostly heart-shaped mons.

“If you like this, we’re going to need to get you bare down here and keep you that way.”

She shivered as he ran his hand lightly over her body, rumbling in a way only she could hear. He turned on the violet wand, enjoying the way her body jumped a little as it crackled. He ran the wand along her skin, sending small sparks of electricity over her body, and giving off the faint scent of ozone.

Char grinned. “Now, I understand the champagne in the lounge. It feels like bubbles under my skin.”

Daniel ran the wand over her breasts, teasing her nipples and giving them the barest hint of pain. Char wasn’t a masochist by any stretch of the imagination, but she did like a sensation that was just this side of comfortable. He ran the wand over nearly every inch of her, avoiding her mons and most feminine parts.

“We’re really going to have to get you nice and smooth,” he purred.

She nodded, feeling the most delicious peace settle as she focused on the physical sensations. Even though he never touched her clit or pussy, she could feel them both throbbing to the wand’s rhythm. Once her skin warmed, he began to pull apart the flash cotton into lacy cobwebs, making it very thin before placing it in intricate patterns on her skin.

Daniel rumbled to her as he used the wand to light the flash cotton, igniting sparks along her skin. Char giggled, but her nipples were hard as diamonds. Watching her watch herself on fire was fascinating. At first there was fear, then acceptance, then delight.

***

Daniel’s mouth came down and his tongue plunged past her lips, sliding, tangling, and twisting in a dance of desire. He leaned over, his hands resting on either side of the table, close enough so her pebbled nipples grazed his chest. He worked his way down on her body, suckling at each nipple and running his tongue down the centerline. The wet heat from his tongue lit up where the violet wand had recently set it ablaze.

It was as if everyone in the room faded away and only she and Daniel were left in the room. He pressed her into the table and without thinking, her body softened; she spread her legs and her pussy offered him her honey. The fire play had most definitely gotten her aroused for her mate.

He kissed his way down one side of her body and up the other, studiously avoiding her nether region.

“I waited a long time for you, mate,” he rumbled.

“Good thing I’m worth it,” she retorted.

“You do like to play with fire, don’t you?”

“But of course. Why do you think I took a fire Dom to mate?”

He chuckled, letting his lips follow his fingers. He drew back the petals of her sex, playing in the warm viscous cream that was dripping from within. He barely played with her clit, circling it and pressing down briefly with his thumb, enough to send a tickle down to her pussy, but not enough to let her fly.

With one long lick, Daniel had her writhing on the table. He growled to remind her who was dominant and who was not before he ran his tongue all over her lower body. Again and again, he licked and sucked her sensitive flesh.

Char was desperate. She needed him inside her, pounding and stroking her labia, reveling in the way she reacted.

“Such a good mate,” he crooned.

“If you want to kill me, just put a bullet in my brain.” She groaned. “Daniel, please.”

She could feel fresh arousal gushing out to cover his fingers. He brough them up to his mouth and sucked them clean. Lowering his hand, he finger-fucked her and enjoyed the way her pussy tried to clamp down.

Switching positions, he rolled his tongue and licked from clit to slit and back again. Only at the bottom of her core he would spear her with his tongue, then flatten it to scoop up her honey. He devoured her as if she was the last meal on earth.

On his last pass, he licked the lips of her labia, drawing each one inside for a little nip until he reached her swollen nub. As he swirled is tongue around her, he pressed two fingers inside her while he bit down on her sensitive clit.

Char screamed as she came, and wasn’t that what life was all about?