She wasn’t quite sure how she’d gotten herself into this. They’d come to play at Baker Street. Knight was one of the few fire masters at the club. Fitzwallace had asked him to do a demonstration and naturally he’d chosen her to be his partner. Peyton liked the fact that he never even considered asking a sub who had experience or interest in fire play, even though she, herself, had none. The fact was that fire play scared the shit out of her, and while she trusted Knight, she knew fire burned and the idea that she would willingly want to set herself on fire seemed like a bad plan.

“Your choice,” he said quietly.

“But if I don’t agree, you won’t do the demonstration.”

“Yes, I’m rather old-fashioned that way. I only play with my collared sub. Yes or no, Peyton, but if you don’t want to, I need to relinquish the stage.”

“You wouldn’t be pushing me if I had a problem with being watched.”

“But we both know you don’t. There’s more than a bit of the exhibitionist in you,” he said, chuckling.

That was an understatement.

“I tell you what,” he continued. “Try it this once. Trust me enough to go up on stage and get ready. If at any time after that, you want to stop, I will, and I’ll never bring it up again.”

Peyton didn’t really believe it would be never, but she knew it wouldn’t be for a long time. She rather imagined he was counting on the ever-strengthening bonding link that ran between them. But she didn’t need the tether to tell him that she trusted him with no reservations. And she knew he’d never hurt her except in a way she enjoyed or that he felt she needed in terms of discipline.

But this wasn’t discipline or even a challenge. This was just play, something enjoyable and ultimately satisfying. Taking a deep breath, she called on the link to draw forth peace and confidence from him. As she expelled the breath, she found her perfect center, the one that reminded her that while Knight enjoyed pushing her limits, he was also certain to make sure she never failed, and he praised her when she conquered something that had held her back.

She placed her hand in his and gave him a bright smile. “Let’s do this. Light me up, Master.”

Knight leaned over to her and brushed his lips against hers. “You have no idea what that does to me when you remind me how strong and brave you are and that you trust me to keep you safe. I love you, Peyton.”

She shivered as desire raced along her nervous system, firing through all of her synapses. No matter how many times he told her, it was always a thrill to hear him say it.

He led her onto the stage. “Let’s get you out of this restrictive clothing.”

While the corset might be considered restrictive, it and the thong didn’t constitute much. He was a funny man in some ways. He enjoyed showing her off at the club but could get growly about things that either clung to her body or revealed too much in any other setting.

But she was much the same. She loved seeing him in the skintight leather trousers which left little to nothing to the imagination. The matching vest, if he chose to wear it, revealed his broad shoulders, lean waist, cut chest, washboard abs, and those delicious deep notches where his muscular legs met his torso. He was, quite simply, the most beautiful male she’d ever seen.

Knight was imposing, intimidating, and yet when he smiled, it changed the entire character of his face. His eyes softened, crinkling at the edges, and he had a laugh that could fill a room with such joy. His chuckle was decidedly sexy, but his laugh was a glory unto itself.

He turned her to face the crowd and began unlacing her corset. There was something incredibly intimate about how instead of simply slicing through the laces with a knife, he took the time to unfasten them, often times trailing kisses down her spine as he did so. He had a deft hand, and his movements were swift and sure. If she was an exhibitionist, so was he, only what he liked exhibiting was her.

Knight loosened the corset until he could lift it up and over her head. He leaned down to strip her thong off so that she was completely naked. Standing back up, he placed both the corset and the thong on the table beside him where he’d placed flash cotton, a fire extinguisher, a fire blanket and a violet wand, another thing that scared her more than a little. The cooled and refreshed air washed over her skin, raising goosebumps. It didn’t affect her nipples. It couldn’t because they were already painfully hard.

He swept her up in his arms, then stretched her out on the demonstration table, which was really just a comfortable massage table. The smile he bestowed on her as his eyes roamed her body matched the heat and intensity with which he whispered, “Mine.” Yes, her Master was a possessive bastard and she reveled in it.

His next words were spoken mostly to the crowd. “A quick word about safety. You’ll notice I have a friend of mine standing right here. He is experienced with fire extinguishers and fire blankets. He also has a first aid kit and his cell phone.”

“Not helping,” said Peyton, inspiring the crowd that had gathered to laugh.

He smacked her ass. “And sometimes a ball gag can be your best accompaniment to something like this.” He arched his eyebrow at her.

“Sorry, Master.”

“Enough. Now, where was I, oh yes, after ensuring that you have the necessary safety equipment, the first thing you need to ensure is that your sub is perfectly naked,” he said running his hands over her mons, belly and breasts, making her tremble. “And that any and all clothing and hair have been removed from where you want to set her on fire.”

“Master? Would you mind phrasing that in a different way?”

Before she could finish, Knight pinched her nipple, which seemed to have a direct and visceral line to her pussy as it became even more soft and wet.

“It can also be beneficial before starting to remind your sub that she does not top from the bottom. Normally this can be accomplished by a quick swat to her backside or the twist of a nipple, but other times, a break in play is needed so you can turn her ass a lovely shade of red. Are you ready to behave?”

Message received. “Yes, Master.”

He chuckled. “Damn straight, yes Master. For those of you who wonder if fire play hurts? It doesn’t, but it can do a real number on the lizard part of our brains, not just for the person being lit up, but for anyone watching, and yes, even for the one doing the lighting.”

He picked up the violet wand, flicking it on—its crackle focused her mind on one thing and one thing only: her Master, her Dom, her husband was about to set her on fire. A kind of light sparkly charge seemed to radiate over her skin as he ran the wand over her body. It seemed odd that it frightened her. After all, every time she shifted, the shimmer crackled with energy and light. But this was different. The sound of the electricity and the faint scent of ozone suffused her nostrils as her skin warmed wherever the wand wandered. It was lovely and pleasant until he swept it over her labia, then the sensation was like nothing she’d ever felt before, a kind of zing, followed by a mild burning sensation before every nerve came alive.

Joshua laid the wand down and picked up the flash cotton, working it until it had become like the finest mesh or perhaps even a delicate spider’s web. Thin, almost transparent, he used his knife to cut a smaller piece away from the larger swatch.

“This is flash cotton,” he said, holding up the piece. “You need to make sure that it is nice and flat, no bunched or knotted pieces. You want it thin and almost web-like. The trick is to get it to live up to its name and flash, so it provides sensation play and not pain. I’m going to start with a simple piece as this is Peyton’s first time. I’m also going to avoid her genitals at least for the first few so she can relax and enjoy it versus being worried that her private places are about to be violated.”

“That happens so often at home, I don’t much notice anymore.”

The small gathering of people all laughed quietly.

“I’ll rectify that when we get back. Come tomorrow morning, all you’ll be able to do is notice,” he purred in a menacing tone.

He placed the filmy material on her belly and without any kind of warning, he touched the wand to the flash cotton and it did just as he described. Fire and sensation flashed hand in hand as it moved across the material from one side to another, trailing heat and sensation across her skin. But it was a true flash as the fire was gone just as quickly as it had begun. The pulse pounding endorphin rush, however, was only getting started.

Knight leaned down and kissed her before showing the audience that the patterns that could be formed were endless. As he talked and set her aflame again and again, Peyton sank deep into subspace, her mind floating, tethered to the real world only through his voice and the bonding link that existed between them.